It Takes A Girl
by Megatron's Blackfire
Summary: What would the Unicron Trilogy have been like if Prime had been a femme? Absolute chaos and the worst love story in the world. Story is better than the summary. AU.
1. Prologue

Ok, kinda got bored one day and I wondered what the Unicron Trilogy would have been like if Prime had been a girl. So, the story wouldn't leave me alone until I got most of it written down and all. There might be other stories that I might get up abuot what would happen if different characters had been female or vice versa. Anyways, enough of my mindless chatter, on with the story!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the Transformer; however I do own the plot.

Prologue

The sound of hr pounding feet against the metal ground echoed around her as she ran. She had lost the feeling in her leg a week ago, her left optic had stopped transmitting images weeks ago, her left arm was dangling helplessly at her side, and, to top it all off, her sparkling as due in a week. That is, however, if she was still alive and functioning by then. Emotional pain raced through her systems and she struggled to control the anguished cry as it formed in her vocal processor.

How could he have done that to her? If he had asked she would have agreed in a sparkbeat, but to be forced to bond her spark to his? The minute he had forced her, that had killed her then. And the end result lay growing in her womb chamber, unaware of how it had come into being. It was all she had ever wanted, to bring his child into the world, but now? Now she wasn't sure what she wanted anymore.

She slipped on the wet ground, falling forward as pain laced through her body. She turned herself sideways so she wouldn't land on her abdomen and accidentally kill her sparkling. More pain laced her body as she connected with the ground. She bit back her scream and struggled to her feet.

She wasn't sure where she was going, but something inside her spark told her to go this way. She just knew that salvation was just a little bit farther away. She started running again, all too aware of the painful burning sensation that her child's spark was causing her. She leant against one of the broken, abandoned buildings and pressed her hand angrily over her stomach, waiting for the burning to cease. When it finally stopped, she started running again.

She knew her fuel levels were low. Her body was a mess of broken armor and fuel lines, leaking energon all over her and the ground. She had rerouted different energy sources to her spark and womb chamber, desperate to keep both of them alive at all costs. She knew that this price she was paying was slowly killing her.

She slipped again and tumbled forward. She was unable to turn so her child would be unharmed because of how close the buildings were. She closed her optic shutters as she awaited the deadly impact that would claim her poor sparkling or both of them. The impact never came; instead a pair of strong arms caught her and pulled her back to her feet. She looked up and let out a cry of joy.

"Scavenger!" She shouted as she wrapped her arms around her old teacher.

"Oriona? Is that you under this?" Scavenger's gruff voice asked.

She nodded as tears flowed freely down her face. She hugged him tightly and cried into his chest.

"Easy Oriona." He said as he gently stroked her damaged back. "What happened?"

"Megatron hurt me." Oriona Pax whimpered. "He forced me to bond with him and when I tried to resist him, he turned violent."

"Megatron did this?" Scavenger asked in shock. "I thought he loved you."

"So did I." Oriona sobbed. "And I'm carrying our child!"

"Oh Oriona." Scavenger sighed. "Ssh, it's ok. You're amongst friends now." He said softly as he picked her up.

He turned and started walking slowly away from the abandoned buildings. He looked down at the crying femme in his arms and felt his spark fill with pain. She used to be so lively and happy, always looking at the bright side and willing to help whoever needed it. But now she was only a mere shadow of her former self. He vowed that he would make Megatron pay dearly for hurting her like this. He would make him pay dearly.

As he neared the training base that he was currently staying at, he heard her slip into recharge. He sped up, heading straight towards the med bay, his spark filling with fear and concern. If her fuel and energy levels were too low she would die. He pushed the doors aside and had to duck as a wrench was thrown at him.

"Slag it Ratchet! Now isn't the time for that!" Scavenger snapped as he glared at the red and white CMO. "Oriona's life might be on the line!"

Ratchet stopped in midswing as he went to hurl another wrench at Scavenger for entering the med bay after it was closed for the night. He looked at the offline femme in Scavenger's arms and cursed. "Then put her on a berth frag it!" He snarled. "Red Alert! Get the operating equipment now!" He shouted at a smaller, younger red, blue, and white mech.

Red Alert took off to get the necessary equipment while Ratchet gave Oriona's body a full diagnostic scan. He growled as he found nothing but damage and more damage. Then he felt his energon freeze in his circuits as he scanned her midsection. He choked back a moan as he closed his optics.

"The sparkling needs to be moved NOW!" He growled. "Scavenger, go to the storage area at the back of the med bay; there should be some protoforms." He ordered.

Red Alert appeared at that moment and started hooking several life-saving devices to Oriona. He looked at Ratchet and frowned. "Is she going to make it?" He asked.

"Frag it, she's better!" Ratchet replied. "She has to raise her own sparkling!"

Scavenger reappeared at that moment with a protoform cradled in his arms. "Let's do this." He said gruffly.

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Oriona groaned as she turned her optics on. She was looking up at a blank white ceiling and wondered how she had gotten there. Then she noticed that all of her pain was gone, her systems were running properly…and her womb chamber was empty. She bolted upright and felt her stomach in desperation. It was completely flat, as apposed to the slight bulge that had been there. She felt tears well up in her optics as she pictured the worst case scenario as to what happened to her helpless child.

"So you finally awaken." A cranky voice sounded above her. She looked up into a set of angry blue optics and let out a happy cry.

"Ratchet!" She shouted as she tried to stand up only to have him push her back down.

"Don't try to move. You still have to recover a little more from your surgery." He replied as he lifted an optic ridge. "What did you do? Play "Catch-me-if-you-can" with a feral cybercat?"

Oriona deflated. "I tried to resist Megatron's attempt at bonding." She whispered.

Ratchet blanched and his optics widened. "Megatron did this?" He asked in disbelief.

Oriona nodded as a tear spilled out of her optic. "What became of my sparkling?" She whispered.

Ratchet smiled at that point. "Red Alert!" He shouted over his shoulder.

"Coming!" A voice answered. Oriona watched as the young mech, who must have only recently entered his youngling years, came running over cradling a bundle of wires and yellow metal to his chest. He stopped in front of her and held out the bundle to her. "Here you are Ma'am! One slightly finicky sparkling." Red Alert stated.

Oriona reached out and picked the sparkling up almost like she was in a trance. The sparkling looked up at her with baby blue optics. It giggled as it reached towards her and she pulled it up against her chest. She felt tears stream down her face as she looked into her creation's face. The top of its optics sloped gently downwards, reminding her immediately of Megatron. She watched as it snuggled against her and fell asleep.

"It's a mech." Ratchet stated, his voice softer than before now that he saw how happy Oriona was.

Oriona nodded. "I'll name him Hot Shot." She stated. "With Megatron as his father he'll have a temper and be a complete show-off."

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Several thousand years had passed since Hot Shot had come online. He had grown and became the focus point of everyone in the training base. Everyone loved him, even grouchy ol'Ratchet adored him, except when Hot Shot messed with his tools then the little sparkling ran for dear life.

Oriona had joined the Autobots almost the instant an all out war had been announced against the Decepticons. She still had yet to see a real battle, but she was still one of the most deadly shots at the base. Not to mention she could throw a compact metal ball at any target and hit it dead on.

She was often pitted against a white, arrogant, smart-mouthed mech named Jetfire during training, with her coming out as the winner 9 times out of 10. Jetfire often said that he was just being nice and going easy on her because she was a femme. She didn't care what the white Seeker said, preferring to tune him out when his mouth started flapping, metaphorically speaking since he wore a face mask 24/7.

She was sitting on a bench over looking the target range as some of the Elite fighters got in some fun. Amongst them was Sentinel Prime, the aging leader of the Autobots. Oriona didn't doubt his battle prowess, but she couldn't understand why he had taken the position so late in his life. She felt a small pair of hands grab her arm and she looked down into Hot Shot's baby blue optics.

"Mama!" He whined. "Scavenger won't pway wid me!"

Oriona smiled as she pulled him onto her lap. "Scavenger is busy with battlefield tactics, sweetspark." She said as she held him against her chest.

"But why? The Depicons aren't attawking us." He huffed.

"It's a precaution, sparkling. Just incase the "duwpid Depicons" attack." She replied as she purposely garbled her words. Hot Shot giggled in response. "Do you remember what you have to do if they come?" She asked.

"I 'ide in Watchet's med bay and don't come out until Watchet tells me too." Hot Shot replied.

"What? Not going to let the kid fight?" Jetfire's voice asked.

"He's a sparkling you thick-plated idiot! Of course he isn't fighting!" She snapped.

Jetfire huffed. "No need to explode Paxy." He replied, calling her by the nickname that Scavenger often called her.

Oriona stood up, all ready to start chewing out the over-sized pile of bolts, when she was sent toppling into the Seeker as an explosion rocked the base. The alarm system went off and Oriona's optics widened. She put Hot Shot on the ground as she pulled out her gun.

"Hot Shot, get to Ratchet, NOW!" She ordered.

Hot Shot nodded and scurried off towards the med bay as fast as his tiny legs could go. She turned to Jetfire and they both sprinted down the hallway towards the entrance. A laser blasted through the wall as a tall, grey Decepticon stepped into view. Oriona fired once and blasted him back through the hole that he had entered through. Jetfire chuckled as they continued to race through the base.

"Sentinel, what's the situation?" Jetfire asked over the com-link.

"We have the main Decepticon generals attacking. They must have known that we had all gathered here." Sentinel replied.

"Well, we'll just have to send them packing!" Oriona stated as she skidded around the corner, her heels screeching against the metal floor.

"Did I ever mention that I like the way you think?" Jetfire asked.

"Nope." Oriona replied as they rounded the last corner and found the others fighting the Decepticons. "Usually you say that I'm a stupid femme with a glitchy CPU."

"Oh."

"Fly boy, corner pocket!" Oriona snarled as she blasted a white, pink, and yellow Seeker with helicopter blades on his back into a slightly smaller green mech.

"Not a bad shot!" Jetfire stated as he blasted another Seeker. "Take that wannabe!"

"I'm still one up on you!" Oriona teased.

At that moment she felt a presence that she hadn't felt for several thousand years. She almost dropped her gun in fear as she sensed his spark pulsing nearby. She back up a little and shot the helicopter Seeker again as he tried to get up.

"Slag it! How did he get in?!" She heard Blur shout.

A cruel, dark, and evil laugh ran throughout the entranceway. Oriona shrank back fearfully, but shot the helicopter once again.

"Take the fragging hint and stay down!" She snarled.

"Watch it glitch! You're going to see what happens when you mess with Cyclonus!" The Seeker shouted before he cackled like an idiot. He tried to stand up again and Oriona pulled a hard, steel ball out of her subspace. She threw it at him with enough grace that put a professional baseball player to shame and it connected squarely with his groin. He squealed and fell over, rendered unable to move for a while now.

"Watch!" Blur shouted as a laser shot towards her. Jetfire leapt in front of her and took the shot to his stomach.

"Jetfire!" She screamed as he fell backwards. She fell to her knees beside him and look at him in shock. "Oh Primus! Jetfire get up!"

"Behind you." The white Seeker wheezed.

Oriona shot to her feet with her gun up. Her optics widened in fear as the towering purple and green mech glared down at her with blood red optics. Two tall antlers stood up on either side of his head and a large gun was attached to his back. He smiled cruelly at her, revealing four long and deadly sharp fangs.

"Well, well, well. So this is where you've been hiding all these years." The mech growled as he stepped towards her.

Oriona stood frozen to the spot as she watched the mech approach her and she felt a sudden cold, endless darkness latch onto her spark. She tried to push it away but it wasn't working; it was clinging to her. The mech laughed.

"Oh my little Oriona Pax. You think that you can just push my spark away? After it hasn't touched yours in 3 thousand years?" He mocked.

"Leave me alone, Megatron." She whispered. She lifted her gun level with his face but it was shaking badly in her grip.

"You couldn't kill me." Megatron whispered as he grabbed her arm. "You don't have it in you."

He dragged her forwards until she was pinned tightly against him. His other hand grabbed a hold of her armor just below her collar and pulled her up to his level. He grinned as he moved her closer again and captured her lips. Oriona's body stiffened as Megatron kissed her and began to slowly work her mouth open. As soon as his glossa entered her mouth, she could taste his change. He was more possessive than before, and, as strange as it sounded, he even tasted evil. As the kiss lengthened she felt the darkness tighten around her spark and slowly everything started disappearing from sight. Before long all she could see was the never-ending blackness, all she felt was Megatron's lips and his glossa, and all she could sense was complete and utter darkness.

When Megatron finally pulled away from her, she felt lost. The darkness pressed in around her in an attempt to suffocate her. She reached out with her hands and felt nothing in front of her. She panicked and tried to scream, but she couldn't make a sound. Her spark felt frozen and she tried desperately to reach out to anyone who would care, but all she met was darkness.

She was almost ready to give up all hope when she saw a soft, glowing light ahead of her. She reached out towards it and forced her legs to move; they were numb from the cold that was within her spark and body. Each step took her closer to the light, closer to salvation, and farther away from the freezing darkness. She reached out to touch the light when another hand reached out of the glowing light and pulled her into a gentle embrace. She looked up into Jetfire's face, his entire body glowing softly, and she watched him raise a hand and trail it across her check in a loving gesture.

"I won't let you get hurt ever again." He stated softly. "Never again, I promise."

She smiled as the whole world exploded around her with soft, white light.

Her optics fared to life and she heard several shouts of joy and relief. She saw Scavenger, Sentinel Prime, Blur, Ratchet, Red Alert, Jetfire, and Hot Shot gathered around her and she realized that she was in the med bay. She blinked as she sat up slowly; she felt like she had just fallen off of a tall building. She looked at their worried faces and tilted her head.

"What happened?" She asked.

"You passed out during the attack, just before those Decepticreeps retreated." Jetfire stated, his usual cocky tone replaced with a much calmer, caring tone.

Oriona blinked once before her optics widened in horror, slammed her hands over her mouth, and burst into tears. Several shouts of shock rang out at her actions. Almost none of the gathered mechs expected her to react like that.

"Red Alert, take Hot Shot somewhere else and stay with him please." Ratchet stated.

Oriona felt and arm wrap around her shoulders and she turned into the owner's chest and started sobbing. She heard Hot Shot asking why he wasn't allowed to stay and she was suddenly thankful that Ratchet had sent her son away; she didn't want her innocent, little sparkling to know anything about his father. A large hand rubbed her back to comfort her as she sobbed. Her arms wrapped around the waist of her comforter as she tried to hold onto whatever reality she could.

"Oriona, please, what happened?" Scavenger asked.

"Tell me he isn't one of them." She begged.

"I'm sorry Oriona, he is." Ratchet said softly. "He leads them."

She whirled around to look at the CMO. "He started this war?" She whispered in horror.

"Yes Oriona." Scavenger said. He was standing beside Ratchet, his arms crossed and his optics full of pity.

"Who are we talking about?" Jetfire asked. Oriona realized that Jetfire was holding her and yet she didn't care.

"The mech that attacked you and Oriona." Scavenger replied sadly.

"So, why does he matter? We just have to send him to the scrap heap and free all the Minicons to win this war." Blur stated angrily.

Oriona bit her lip as she struggled to control the wail that was working up her throat. She pulled her arms back and wrapped them instead around herself as she fought back the fresh wave of tears. Jetfire hugged her gently when he realized how distressed she had become by the statement.

"It matters to me, Blur, because he is Megatron." She replied around a sob. "And he is my mate."

She broke down into tears as everyone other than Ratchet and Scavenger stared at her in shock. She half-expected Jetfire to say some cruel remark about her, but he pulled her up against his body and sighed.

"I understand why you left him Paxy. He's the biggest fragging aft-head I've ever met." Jetfire said softly.

Oriona sniffled. "He used to care about me." She sobbed.

"Megatron has changed too much; he's become pure evil." Ratchet stated.

"I know." She replied. "His spark is nothing but darkness. It ensnared me and I almost couldn't get back."

"How did you get back?" Sentinel asked.

Oriona looked back at Jetfire and smiled softly. "I saw a soft, glowing light and headed towards it." She replied.

No one knew what to say to her, but Sentinel wanted to talk with her later on tactics to use against the Decepticons. Hot Shot came tearing over to her the second he was allowed to and leapt into her arms. He was shaking as he cried into her shoulder, begging her never to leave him like that again.

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Five thousand years later, Oriona smiled as she watched Hot Shot train with the other Autobots, even though he was too young to really do anything. His aim was pretty decent, but he wasn't anywhere near being big enough to go head to head against any of the older Autobots.

"Yoh! Paxy!" A female voice shouted.

Oriona turned and smiled at the approaching red and orange femme. "Hey Dag." She replied. She smiled down at the tiny mech clinging to her leg. "Hello Padlock." She added.

The femme's optics twinkled as she picked up her sparkling and the face mask that she wore moved slightly. Even though she was a Seeker, she had no really pronounced wings to prove it. She had been nicknamed "Wingless Seeker" by Jetfire, earning him more than one reproachful look. She had left the Decepticons for similar reasons that Oriona had; her mate had gotten abusive, expect for her it was while she was carrying their sparkling. She had fled and headed to where she hoped she could be safe. When Oriona had seen her she convinced everyone that she had to be protected. That had been about three thousand years previous.

"So, how is our little Hot Shot doing?" The Seeker asked.

"Not bad Wingdagger." Oriona replied to her old friend. "He's a little slow with his counterattacks but he'll learn."

Wingdagger chuckled. "Mech, Megatron would kill someone if he learnt that his son isn't the best fighter in the base." She stated.

Oriona winced. "Some take longer than others." She replied rather bluntly.

"Right. Sorry." Wingdagger apologized.

Just as Oriona was about to reply, Jetfire raced over to them. He looked uneasy about something and Oriona knew that something bad was going to happen. They had started dating each other soon after Megatron's first attack on the base and everyone said that they were made for each other.

"What's wrong?" She asked her jumpy boyfriend.

"The others just got back from a battle and Sentinel doesn't look good. He's ordered us to the med bay to see him." The white Seeker replied. He smiled slightly as he reached over and tickled Padlock's chin.

Oriona gave Jetfire a worried look. "Should we get the ones in the target range?" She asked.

"No, Sentinel just wants us." Jetfire replied.

Oriona and Wingdagger nodded and they all rushed to the med bay, Padlock still with them since he barely ever left his mother's side. When they entered they found Scavenger, Blur, and Ratchet already standing around Sentinel Prime's bed. Oriona was directed closest to the Autobot leader while Wingdagger stood beside Blur and Jetfire beside Ratchet. Sentinel Prime looked at them all and his blue optics filled with sadness.

"I'm sorry about this." He said as his voice cracked. "But I fear that my time left here is short."

"What do you mean?" Oriona asked.

"Megatron damaged me good." He replied. "I should have taken your advice, Oriona, and kept my gun trained on him."

Oriona sighed. "I'm sorry sir." She replied.

"Don't be. You did not shoot me." He replied with a soft smile. "Now listen. This is the Matrix of Leadership." He said as he opened his chest compartment and pulled out a gold circular object with handles attached. "Every Prime that has ever been has held this within them. Use it to find the next Prime." He said softly. "It will glow powerfully and reformat whomever it believes should be the next Prime." He finished as he held it out to Oriona to grab hold of since she was closest.

The minute her fingers slid into the holds on the Matrix, it glowed a bright blue. Oriona gasped as she was engulfed by the light. She herself shifting around and she could swear that her body was extended past her current height of 24 feet, which was considered average. As the light faded she realized that everyone was staring at her in shock, including Sentinel.

"Rise Optimus Prime, new leader of the Autobots." A deep, rumbling voice stated.

"Me?" She asked. "I'm the new Prime?"

"I never thought that it would choose a femme." Sentinel wheezed. "Good luck, Optimus Prime."

She watched in shocked awe as his optics went out and his body changed from azure blue to black. She stared at her previous leader's dead body as she started shaking. She looked down at the Matrix and shook her head.

"It's made a mistake! I can't lead the Autobots!" She stated as she held it out to Scavenger.

"The Matrix wouldn't have chosen you if it didn't think you were capable Ori, I mean Optimus." Scavenger stated as he shook his head.

"I can't lead!" She cried out. "I can't stare at Megatron without dying of a sparkattack!"

"None of us can Ori...er, Optimus." Jetfire stated.

She looked at them all, begging them with her optics to take over. None of them moved for what felt like an eternity. Then, all at once, they sank to their knees and bowed. She shook her head angrily.

"Don't do that!" She screamed. "I'm not the Prime!"

"You are." Scavenger stated as he stood back up.

"But I don't want this!" She cried as she looked down at the Matrix. "All I want…." She started to say.

"Is too have your son grow up safely." The deep voice stated again.

She blinked at the Matrix and looked away. "Open your chest compartment and place the Matrix over your spark compartment." The voice stated.

She blinked a few more times. "Frag that!" She shouted, startling everyone since she wasn't one to swear. She also forgot that Padlock was still in the room. "There is no way I'm opening my chest plate with a whole mess of mechs in the room!"

Wingdagger groaned. "Everyone look away so Ms. Self-conscious can do her thing!" She stated dramatically.

Everyone turned around and she couldn't help but grumble. "Don't peek!" She snapped at Jetfire as she caught him glancing back at her.

She placed the Matrix on the bedside table as she moved her chest plate aside. She sighed as she picked the Matrix back up and placed it over top of her spark compartment. She was amazed by how nicely it fit. She closed her chest plate and everyone turned around.

"Ok, I peeked." Jetfire confessed, his optics flashing with laughter.

She glared at him. "You are **so** lucky that we're dating." She snapped as she fought against a smile.

Jetfire laughed before he caught her suddenly sullen face. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"Doesn't this mean that we're over?" She asked softly. "I'm Prime now, how could we ever make this work?"

'Make him your Second-in-Command.' The voice stated in her head. Surprisingly she didn't yelp in shock.

She took a deep breath. "My first decision as Prime is to make Jetfire my Second-in-Command." She stated.

Nobody seemed surprised by her decision. She ran a hand over her head and blinked as she felt something sticking up beside her head. She placed her other hand on the other side of her head and felt the exact same thing.

"What the?" She asked.

"You didn't know those were there?" Ratchet asked.

"Uh, no." She replied. She glanced over at him and frowned. "Did you shrink Ratch?" She asked.

Ratchet grinned. "No you grew. Guess you got reformatted big time." He replied.

She blinked several times before she walked over to the full length mirror at the back of the med bay. She gasped as she saw her reflection. Her mouth was covered by a face plate and she had an antenna on either side of her head that hadn't been there before. Her golden optics stared out at her from an alien face and body. Her chest was red, her legs and helmet were blue, her arms were white, and there was a set of cannons on each of her arms.

"Oh Primus." She whispered as she reached her hand out and touched the mirror, her reflection doing the same. "Is that really me?"

"Hey Jetfire." Hot Shot's voice asked. She turned and watched her son approach Jetfire. "Have you seen my mom around? She wasn't waiting for me when my training ended."

She felt her spark constrict painfully in her chest. Hot Shot didn't even recognize her.

"Hot Shot." She said softly. He spun to look at her. She smiled, then remembered that she was wearing a face mask and sighed. "Hot Shot it's me, your mother." She said.

Hot Shot backed away. "No you're not." He stated. "My mother looks nothing like you."

"Hot Shot please!" She begged. "It's me, really."

"Just because you sound like my mom doesn't mean you are her." The small, yellow mech stated.

She felt her spark constrict even more. Jetfire stepped forward. "Listen kid, she's telling you the truth." He snapped. "She's just no longer Oriona Pax. You're looking at Optimus Prime, the first femme leader of the Autobots."

Hot Shot blinked in confusion. "What? Why would my mother be chosen? She doesn't like to fight! Why didn't Wingdagger take over, or you?" He asked,

"Because Optimus was chosen." Ratchet stated. "Nothing can undo it."

Hot Shot blinked back tears. "But why my mother!?" He demanded.

She rushed forward and fell to her knees beside her child. She hugged him to her chest as she rocked back and forth. He bawled into her chest as she rubbed her hand along his head.

"Ssh, ssh. It's okay Hot Shot, I'm right here." She murmured. "I might be Optimus Prime now, but I'll always be your mother."

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Two thousand years later and Optimus Prime was leading the Autobots like no Prime before. She never sent anyone into a fight that she wouldn't do herself. No one doubted her anymore and they all followed her without a second thought. Megatron still had a temporary lead on the amount of Minicons working for him, but Optimus and the Autobots were slowly making a comeback.

Megatron was completely oblivious to the fact that Optimus was his mate, or that she was privately seeing Jetfire. He only saw her as some annoying Autobot femme that had somehow made it as Prime. She was thankful for that and she had also successfully managed to block out his spark when they met on the battlefield.

At the moment Optimus was busy fighting Megatron for possession of a Minicon named Sparkplug. Optimus was winning only because she was smaller and more agile than her larger, weighed down mate. She was taunting him, making sure to camouflage her voice, and was sending him into a furious rage. He whipped his huge gun around and started blasting at her in blind rage.

"Jetfire! Get over here and get Sparkplug out of here!" She ordered over her com-link.

"Got it!" The white Seeker replied. "You know you have taken pretty good to ordering others around." He added as a joke.

She saw Jetfire fly down and grab the small, yellow Minicon before flying off towards the base.

"Autobots; fall back!" She ordered.

She watched her troops run back towards the base, all the while shooting at the Decepticons. She saw Wingdagger shoot her mate Starscream clean out of the sky as he tried to follow her before heading back to base. Optimus spun and went to transform when a laser blast struck her in the back. She flew forwards and landed in a crumpled heap on the ground. She groaned as she rolled onto her back and came face-to-charging-end with Megatron's cannon. She was momentarily taken back, accidentally dropped her protective shield around her spark for a moment, and felt Megatron's spark home in on hers.

Megatron's once sneering face turned to bewilderment as he stared down at her. "Oriona?" He asked in shock.

"You wish." Optimus growled. "Oriona Pax left a while back. She couldn't stand all the fighting." She half-lied, after all he wasn't Oriona Pax anymore.

"Decepticons; return to base." Megatron ordered.

She saw Starscream stagger to his feet as several others retreated. She noted that quiet a few of the Decepticon were dead along with two or three Autobots. She sent a silent prayer to them and thanked them for their bravery.

Megatron grabbed her by her throat and hoisted her up to his level. She gasped in shock and struggled against him, grabbing his arm instinctively. Using his other hand he grabbed hold of her face mask and ripped off. He chuckled as he crushed it in his hand and let the shattered remains fall. Optimus looked at the remains and swallowed painfully, knowing that Megatron wasn't fooled in the least.

"I really wish you would stop hiding from me Oriona." He purred as he clamped his mouth over hers.

He ran his glossa over her lips and she opened her mouth. If he had been paying attention he would have seen her golden optics flash dangerously. As his glossa slid past her lips, she bit down hard and smiled as she heard him cry out in pain and shock. He yanked his glossa back and placed his free hand over his mouth as energon oozed past his lips. Optimus huffed and spit his energon that was in her mouth onto him.

"You can have that back." She snapped.

Megatron glared at her as he pulled his hand away from his mouth. "You're going to wish that you hadn't done that." He growled.

"Oh really?" She replied. "And how do you figure that?"

Megatron grinned, energon still running down his face from his mouth, as he tightened his hold on her. She barely had time to blink before his other fist connected with the side of her head. She blacked out and went limp in his arms, for once in her life as Optimus Prime she couldn't fight back. The last thing that she heard was his triumphant laughter.

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Optimus came to with a groan. She reached her hand up and felt the dent where Megatron had struck her. She really should have seen that one coming, it was Megatron after all. She gave her head a small shake as she sat up. She placed her hand on her chest and froze. She looked down and saw that she was in her protoform mode; in other words she was naked and Primus only knows where her armor was or what had happened while she had been out cold.

A hand suddenly trailed across her face and her optics widened in fear. She turned her head to the left and stared down into Megatron's red optics. He too was in his protoform mode and it was taking all of her will power NOT to let her optics wander farther down his body.

'Why do the evil mechs always have to be perfect?' She thought. 'Would it kill him to STOP being so perfect?'

Megatron sat up at that point and wrapped his arms around her. He pulled her against his chest and she couldn't help but sigh. Her hand left her chest and landed gently in his lap, brushing against something that made her blush up and him moan in pleasure. His hands were placed on either side of her exposed chest and his fingers were digging in softly.

"Oh how I've missed you Oriona." He purred.

"I've missed you too, Megatron." Optimus replied. "And my name is Optimus now." She added.

Megatron lifted her head up and stared into her optics. "You will always be Oriona." He stated before he kissed her.

Optimus blew air out of her vents softly as she returned the kiss. His now fixed glossa slid against her lips and she opened her mouth in response. He ran his glossa along her teeth and as it brushed against her glossa she could once again taste his changes. As he pulled his glossa back into his mouth, she quickly slid hers into his mouth. It mapped out the familiar cavern and she ran her glossa along each of his fangs. As her glossa reentered her own mouth, Megatron flipped her onto her back and purred hungrily.

"Just as stimulating as ever." He stated as he positioned himself over top of her.

Optimus' optics widened in horror as she understood what he wanted. "No! Megatron please! I'm not ready for this!" She squeaked.

Megatron purred as he opened his chest compartment. "Yes you are." He replied with a husky voice.

He slid her chest compartment open and frowned. "Well this is an interesting spark container cover." He commented as he lifted the Matrix of Leadership out. He placed it beside her head and smiled. "Ah this must have been what was blocking your spark from me." He added as he looked down at her.

Optimus shivered as she felt Megatron's reach out over their bond and connect their sparks. His evil clung to her and she was scared; she feared getting lost in the darkness again. She focused on Megatron as he opened her spark compartment and brushed his fingers against her spark. She bit back the moan that was building inside of her. She gasped as she felt him claim her and she couldn't help but go with him. Then he placed his spark against hers and Optimus accepted it. A bright aura of blue light surrounded them as their interface intensified. It lasted a few more minutes before Megatron pulled his spark back and rolled off of her panting. He closed his spark and chest compartment as Optimus placed the Matrix of Leadership back over her spark compartment.

"That will be burnt into my memory forever." Megatron stated as he pulled her close to him.

He lifted her head up and kissed her passionately. Optimus melted in his arms as she returned the kiss. She placed her hands on either side of his head and his arms wrapped around her waist. She pulled back and rested her head on his chest and slipped into recharge. She missed the burning sensation of something leaving her spark chamber and resting in her womb chamber.

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Optimus yawned as she came back online. She turned her optics on and stared into Megatron's chest. She smiled as she rested her head against his chest with a sigh. She remembered last night…and then she remembered Hot Shot and Jetfire.

Her optics snapped open and she almost screamed. She bit down hard on her lip as she struggled out of Megatron's embrace. She looked down at him as he grunted and his face scrunched up. She knew that she only had a few minutes before he woke up and did who knows what to her. She swung herself off of the recharge bed and was relived to see her armor stacked in a neat pile.

She quickly put everything back on, throwing nervous glances back to Megatron as he stirred in his sleep. As she snapped her breast plate back into place Megatron let out a long yawn. His optics flickered to life and he looked at her in confusion then back to his arms.

"How did you manage to get over there without waking me up?" He asked groggily.

Optimus thanked Primus that Megatron was so slow when he first wakes up. "What are you talking about? I never slept on your bed." She snapped as she backed up.

Megatron swung himself off of the bed and stood up. Optimus felt her face heat up as she looked at Megatron in his protoform. He walked over to her and stood in front of her, and touched her face gently.

"I'm slow in the morning, not forgetful." He stated. "I know that we bonded last night."

Optimus looked away and took a deep breath. "And we shouldn't have." She stated. "We are enemies Megatron."

Megatron grinned. "Are we now?" He whispered into her audio receptor and sent a shiver through her body.

"Yes." She hissed as she punched him. "We are."

She used his surprise to make her get away. She raced through the Decepticon base, cursing herself for not uploading the schematics first. She turned a corner and plowed into clean into someone. They both went flipping end over end and landed in a heap on the ground. Optimus groaned as she pulled back and shook her head. She looked down and saw that she had plowed straight into Starscream, who would recognize her. She cursed softly as she leapt back to her feet and took off running.

She finally got fed up with just running around aimlessly and pulled out her gun, shot at the wall and smiled as she saw the black sky through the hole. She thanked Primus that she had an escape route and took off running. Megatron's thundering roar followed her as she left the base and reverberated inside of her head long after she returned to base.

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"So, I'm pregnant?" Optimus asked Ratchet quietly.

Ratchet nodded. "Yah and on top of that it's twins." He replied as he looked at her as she sat on the berth.

She rubbed her optics sadly. "They can't stay here Ratch." She whispered.

"And why not!?" Hot Shot demanded as he sprang to his feet, only to have Jetfire shove him back down.

"It won't be safe for them here." Optimus replied. "I don't want to do this anymore than you do Hot Shot."

"But those are going to be my little brothers or sisters!" Hot Shot shouted. "I want to help keep them safe!"

Jetfire sighed. "Look kid, we can't risk Megatron getting his hands on them." He stated, shooting Optimus a quick glance before continuing. "If he hears that his enemy is in spark he will do everything in his power to capture them and turn them into followers or kills them."

"They're yours too!" Hot Shot shouted, missing Optimus' involuntary flinch.

"And I agree with Optimus! It will be safer for them to be as far away from this war as possible." Jetfire snapped.

Hot Shot growled as he stormed out of the med bay. Optimus sighed as she looked at Ratchet and Jetfire before looking down at her feet. "I don't blame you if you think I've committed treason." She stated softly.

"You still love him." Jetfire stated, a slightly cold tone entering at his voice.

"Jetfire." She said looking up at him.

"Don't." He said. "I'm just a little sore that he did that to you."

"Oh? Jealous?" Optimus asked.

Ratchet made a gagging noise as Jetfire laughed. "Now back to business." Optimus stated. "We have to build the Minicons a spaceship so they can escape…and we have to contact Landmine to see if he'll take in the twins." She added with a sigh.

Jetfire smiled. "I'll get in touch with him. And for the record, the Minicons already have a ship. I'll handle getting them out of here safe." He stated.

As he left, Ratchet turned back to her. "Okay Prime, why did you tell him that Megatron forced you to bond with him?" He asked.

Optimus shook her head. "It's better that way." She replied. "He doesn't need to know that I've missed him like nothing else in the world."

Ratchet sighed. "You'll have to tell him sooner or later." He stated.

Optimus nodded sadly. "Now, on a slightly happier note, what are you going to call the sparklings?" Ratchet asked.

Optimus smiled behind her newly fitted face mask. "If they are femmes, Dancingstar and Lockpick." She stated.

"And if they are mechs?" Ratchet asked.

"SideSwipe and Ironhide." She replied.

Ratchet smiled. "Those seem to be prefect." He replied as he turned back to his work.

Optimus nodded as she stood up and walked over to the window. She saw the night sky and wondered what would happen now. She sighed as she thought about everything. The Minicons were leaving to get away from the war and she really wished that she could do that too. She sighed as she looked back at Ratchet and the CMO smiled at her.

"It's only temporary. When they think they are safe or they need help, they'll send word." He stated. "Sparkplug won't just leave you hanging."

Optimus laughed. She would miss the little, yellow Minicon that was for sure.

**Author's note:** Whew…finally got that done! And yes I'm more than aware that Wingdagger is a boy and that he never turns up in Armada! But he is a she for this to make things easier for later. And as for Padlock, I think that's the name of the partner that gets murdered by Shockblast in Energon. If not I'm sorry. Optimus' life sure is twisted. Mated to Megs but fighting against him…and she still manages to love him and Jetfire! I can be so messed up in the head sometimes. Anyways, enough of my useless talking. A cookie to anyone who actually read this! Review and tell me what you think!


	2. Earth

Chapter 1 Earth

"Uh, Rad?" Carlos squeaked. "We're out of rope."

Rad looked back at Carlos in shock. "What? Are you serious?" He demanded. He looked down at Carlos' hands and saw that they didn't, in fact, have any more rope left. He let out a groan as he ran his hand through his blond hair in irritation.

"Aww, I know Rad. I don't like it either." Carlos whined. "Now we have to turn around."

Rad looked down at the floor of the cave and grinned. "No." He replied as he picked up several rocks and formed an arrow pointing back towards the way they had come. "See? Now we just have to make a few more off these and bingo!" He explained.

"Oh awesome! Nice thinking Rad!" Carlos shouted. "Amigo, you are a genius!"

Rad grinned as he stood up. "Come on! This mine shaft has got to go somewhere." He stated as he turned around and headed deeper into cave.

Rad and Carlos were a couple of 14 year olds from the local town of Lincoln, Nebraska. Rad had discovered the abandoned mine shaft the day before and Carlos had tagged along to check it out. They had tried to get one of the other girls that they both knew to come along but she had turned down the offer. They honestly didn't know why; the mine shaft wasn't filled with anything bad, just the occasional spider, rat, or bat, which Carlos started swatting at, yelling about liking being normal and not wanting to turn into Batman.

Carlos suddenly turned around. "Hey, did you hear that?" He asked.

"You're hearing things Los." Rad sighed.

"I'm serious! I just heard someone!" Carlos countered with a frown.

Rad rolled his eyes. "Then do you want to sit here and wait for them to catch up?" He asked as he continued down the tunnel.

Carlos blinked several times. "Good point." He muttered as he hurried after his friend.

After a few minutes of walking down the tunnels they turned one more time and they were faced with a dead end. Rad frowned while Carlos swung his backpack off and massaged his shoulders.

"Aww man! I honestly thought that there would be something else here." Rad complained.

Carlos swung his backpack back onto his shoulder. He went to turn around and froze. A low moaning noise reached his ears. "Hey! Did you hear that?" He asked.

Rad turned towards him. "Huh? Hear what?" Rad asked as he stepped forward.

Rad's foot stepped down on a loose rock and he tripped. "WHOA!" He shouted as he landed hard on the cave floor.

Carlos yelped. He looked down at his best friend and shook his head. "You ok?" He asked. He took a step towards his fallen friend when a sudden crack appeared on the floor around them. "Uh, oh."

The crack in the floor circled around them. Rad sat up quickly but before they could bolt, the floor sank in and the next thing they knew, they were sliding down a ramp. Both were screaming and yelling their heads off, eyes wide open in shock, and flattened against the rock from the force of the movements. It was like they were on a crazy roller coaster and they didn't know when or how they were getting off.

The rock went flying off of the underground slide and landed on the ground about 5 feet below the opening of the chute. The rock crumbled underneath the two friends and they were thrown forwards. Rad flipped end over end before he landed on his stomach while Carlos landed on his back.

"Oh, my aching back." Carlos moaned as he sat up.

"I hear ya." Rad replied as he pushed himself to his feet. He looked up and his mouth fell open in shock. "Whoa!"

Carlos looked up and his mouth fell open. Surrounding them was a broken interior of a spaceship. "Oh wow! This is so cool!" Carlos shouted. His echo came back to him, sounding just as amazed.

Rad stood up. "Come one then! Let's check it out!" He shouted.

They started walking around; touching just about everything they came across in awe. Rad spotted something glowing farther below them and started heading towards it, taking a broken staircase three steps at a time. Carlos followed his best friend at a slightly slower pace; he didn't want another bruise on his body. When he caught up to Rad, he was standing in front of a glowing, green, pentagon-shaped panel with an "M" marked across it. Rad reached out towards it, his eyes focused solely on the panel.

"Careful Rad! It might be radioactive!" Carlos warned.

Rad touched the panel and a high-pitched ringing noise emitted from it. Rad and Carlos let out frightened noises as the computer screens on the spaceship started flashing and the ground underneath them started shaking.

"Run!" Rad shouted.

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"Look! There's the rope!" Carlos shouted as he spotted the rope they had left behind.

"Come on! The exit's this way!" Rad shouted as Carlos picked up the rope and they started running in the direction it was trailed along.

The earthquake had subsided by the time they got outside. Rad and Carlos let out sighs of relief as they inhaled the fresh, mountain air deeply. Rad was clutching the strange panel to his chest, almost as if it would keep him alive if he held it as tightly to him as possible. They headed down the mountain side, watching their feet so that they didn't step on any loose stones and plummet to their doom. Just as they reached the ground, a sudden flash of light caught their attention.

They both look towards the sky where a swarm of purple particles were gathering. The particles formed an enormous ball and started heading towards the ground as a large figure appeared through it. The sphere broke as it reached the ground and the figure straightened up. Red optics flared to life around the purple and green giant robot. Rad and Carlos stared up in shock at the robot standing in front of them.

"Don't move!" A voice shouted.

Rad and Carlos turned around. "Alexis!" Rad shouted as he started running towards her. "What are you doing here?"

He started running towards her as she snarled. "I told you to stay put!" She shouted at him.

Rad went to go laugh at her comment when his foot slipped out from underneath him. He fell forward, the strange panel flying into the air in front of him. A sudden, low gasp of surprise escape the robot as it saw the panel fly through the air and touched the ground. The panel suddenly glowed even brighter, earning surprised gasps from the three teens.

When the light subsided, a blue robot about the same height as Rad stood where the panel used to be. It let out several clicks and whirls to the three teens, earning a surprised look from Rad, before it looked up at the giant, red-optic, purple and green, horned robot. The giant robot grinned slightly and the smaller robot looked like it sighed in annoyance.

Suddenly, it lifted its head up high and it began to spin around and around. Rad's bike, which was lying nearby, temporarily glowed before the little robot's head stopped spinning. It stood there for a second before it lifted its arms slightly and folded into a rather high-tech looking mountain bike. One of the handles moved and signaled to the three stunned teens to get on.

"I think it wants us to get on." Rad stated.

"What? Do you speak its language or something?" Alexis demanded, her short, brown hair falling in her face as she spun on him.

"Call me crazy, but I think I can understand it." Rad replied.

"Well what are we waiting for?" Carlos demanded. "Let's go already!"

After a few minutes of trying to figure out how they were going to get on the little robot, they were speeding away from the giant robot. Rad was actually riding on the seat while Alexis and Carlos were safely tucked under the robot's arms. It had half changed back to its robot self in order to securely carry the three teens.

"This is so cool!" Carlos shouted, his black eyes shining with excitement.

"Yah. Let's just hope that our little friend can keep this speed up." Alexis stated.

"Ah, come on! There is no way that robot could keep up!" Carlos replied smugly. "I bet he's heading home right now."

**Thump**

**Thump**

"You were saying Carlos!" Alexis snapped as they heard the robot walking right behind them, not at all having any troubles keeping up.

A cruel grin appeared on the giant's face as it lifted a relatively small boulder up between its thumb and first finger. It flicked the boulder towards the teens and the robot and caused the ground to explode right beside them. They screamed as they were flung backwards and the little robot changed back and apparently passed out. Rad looked at the small robot fearfully, afraid that it was hurt. He didn't see any visible injuries and was slightly relieved.

"You have something that belongs to me." The giant stated in a dark voice. "Return it."

"What?" Rad asked in shock.

"You've had your chance." The giant growled as it reached towards Rad.

"Leave them alone Megatron!" A female voice shouted angrily.

The teens looked up at the ridge and saw another robot stand up. Rad and Carlos' mouth fell open when they saw the feminine shape of the robot. The golden optics glared down at the large robot, hatred and another unknown emotion oozing out of them. Its hands were curled slightly and hung at the robot's side. The armored plating around its body were red, blue, and white and it also was wearing a face mask. The female robot seemed to give off an aura of a commander, even in spite of her petite frame.

"Optimus Prime." The purple and green robot replied, a slight purr to its voice. The giant robot stepped away from the teens and took a small step towards the female robot. "How nice of you to join me." It stated, a purr once again seeping slightly into its voice.

The female robot snorted. "I'm not sure if I should be insulted by your comment, Megatron, or complimented that you actually referred to me by my name." She stated rather coldly.

The giant robot laughed. "Don't get used to it, my dear." He chuckled. He looked up at the female robot and a sadistic smile played across his face. "I won't be referring to you as that for much longer."

The female robot snorted before it launched itself into the air. She flipped herself over so that her heel struck the larger robot's face first. The teens gawked at the female robot as she landed daintily on her feet and bounced backwards away from the larger, male robot. The larger robot roared angrily as it glared at the small female. The height difference made the teens feel nervous about her fighting; it didn't seem like a fair fight to them.

"You kids get out of here." The female robot stated. "I'll take care of him." She jerked her head towards the male robot.

The teens looked at each other nervously. The small robot was back on its feet again and let out several urgent beeps to the teens. They looked at it and it pointed back to the mountain. They looked at each other and went scrambling back up the mountain in an attempt to get away from the fighting robots.

Once they were safely inside the tunnels, the little robot led them through it to a rock wall. It pressed its hand against the wall and it opened to reveal an elevator. The teens looked at each other once again before they entered the elevator. Sounds of the battle outside met their ears, along with several feminine screams. They all hoped that the female robot was ok and that the huge male was the one screaming.

Once the elevator came to a halt, the little robot hit the "open" button and they filed out after it. They all stared in shock at the high-tech equipment around them.

"It's a spaceship!" Carlos shouted.

The three teens looked at each other and grinned. "This is awesome." Alexis stated with a nod.

"Oh yah!" Rad agreed. He looked up at the robot and saw that it was standing next to a control panel. "Hey, what are you doing little guy?" He asked as he walked over.

The robot let out several beeps and Rad frowned slightly. He reached out and touched the control panel in front of him and a holographic image of the large, purple and green robot appeared. Somehow he still managed to look terrifying, even in a holographic image. A ton of information appeared on the control panel, telling about the robot.

"His name is Megatron." Rad read. "He's the leader of the Decepticons. They're goal is universal domination and the enslavement of the Minicons."

"What's a Minicon?" Alexis asked with a frown.

The little robot let out several beeps. "I think our friend is a Minicon." Rad replied.

"I thought you could understand him." Alexis snipped.

Rad chuckled weakly. He looked back up at Megatron and shivered. He touched the control panel again and a holographic image of the female robot appeared beside Megatron. Even in a hologram, she still managed to look rather commanding and beautiful at the same time.

"Wow, I have to admit she is beautiful." Carlos stated.

"Yah." Rad agreed. He looked at the control panel and read what appeared on the screen. "Her name is Optimus Prime. She's the leader of the Autobots, a race of giant robots that fight for good and the freedom of all sentient beings. She's the first female leader of the faction and opposes Megatron to the ultimate degree." He read. The robot chirped several times. "Optimus Prime, she fights for freedom of everyone and she seems like a rather, motherly figure. She cares for everyone, even some of her enemies." He paused as he looked up at Optimus Prime. "I think she must be pretty powerful to be the leader of a group. She must know what she's doing; otherwise she would be dead by now." He added.

"Wow." Alexis murmured. "A female leader."

"I bet she has all of her comrades after her every single day." Carlos joked.

"Carlos!" Alexis and Rad groaned.

Just as they started laughing, the Minicon's optics widened. It started running around in circles letting out frightened beeps. The teens let out murmurs of fear before the Minicon stopped and pointed to a wall. The wall lifted up to reveal two other glowing, green panels. Alexis walked forward.

"Of course." She whispered as she reached towards it.

Carlos tilted his head in confusion before he followed her example. The two panels glowed brightly before two more Minicons stood in front of Alexis and Carlos. Alexis' was orange and white while Carlos' was blue and black.

"Hey little guy." Alexis said with a smile.

The Minicon let out several beeps in return. Alexis looked back at Rad. "He understands me! Really he does!"

Carlos waved a hand in front of his Minicon. "I think mine is broken." He mumbled when he didn't get a response.

Rad grinned. "Why don't we take these guys for a spin topside?" He asked. "It would be a good way to get them acquainted with their new world!"

Alexis and Carlos agreed instantly. The three Minicons let out happy chirps of agreement, which made the teens laugh.

Meanwhile, just above them, Optimus Prime was nursing a large wound in her side. She should have paid more attention to where Megatron's clawed hands were. She winced as she tried to straighten up, only to slump against the mountain side again. She looked up just as Red Alert came running over.

"Optimus!" He shouted as he slid to a stop in front of her. "You ok?" He asked.

"Normally I would say yes, but Megatron's hands have made sure that I'm not." She replied with a grunt.

"Just hold still." Red Alert stated as he set to work on fixing her side.

"Mom!" Hot Shot shouted as he came running over. "What happened?" He demanded as his blue optics narrowed.

Optimus sighed. "One, call me Optimus, Hot Shot; we are in the field now. And two, I dropped my guard on Megatron and he got me with his hand." She replied as she winced at Red Alert's rather painful procedure. The wound had some how managed to become infected in the past 5 minutes and Red Alert had to get rid of the foreign materials before he could fix her properly.

Hot Shot growled. "Wait until I get my hands on that son of a glitch!" He snarled. "He's going to wish he was never sparked!"

Optimus winced again at her son's harsh words towards his father. "Don't worry about him, Hot Shot." She stated. "We have to find those kids; they have no clue what they are getting themselves into with the Minicon." She added.

Red Alert nodded beside her as he pulled back. "There, good as new." He stated before he held out a hand to help Optimus back to her feet.

Optimus nodded as she stood up. "Let's go." She ordered. She grinned behind her face mask. "But first we have to find new alt modes." She added with a soft laugh.

**Author's note:** There second chapter up! Most of the chapter is done out of memory on what is in the first and a little from the second episode. I know that Megatron threw Rad's bike somewhere in the first episode, but I can't remember the details so that was left out. And if that isn't the name of the town that Armada takes place in, I'm sorry, I'll fix it next chapter. Anyways, Megatron still considers Optimus to be Oriona and he will end up calling her that more often than not. The other Decepticons will make an appearance in the next chapter, promise! Review please!


	3. Welcome Autobots

Disclaimer: I do not own the Transformers; they belong to Hasbro and associates. However I do own the plot.

Chapter 2 Welcome Autobots

"Come on guys!" Alexis shouted.

"Hey, we're coming!" Carlos shouted back.

Alexis was farther ahead of the two boys. Her little orange and white Minicon partner had scanned her scooter and upgraded it to a Mo-ped styled one. Carlos' blue and black Minicon partner had scanned his skateboard and upgraded it to a hoverboard type. Carlos was ecstatic about it, claiming that he would beat them all in a race. That was currently being rubbed in his face since Alexis was ahead of them.

"Who knew that Alexis was such a speed demon?" Carlos laughed.

"Want to see me make her eat my dust?" Rad asked from his blue and white mountain bike Minicon partner.

They laughed as they finally caught up to Alexis and entered a small forested area. They tore through it and came out almost untouched; Carlos had been hit in the face by a very large branch just before they exited. They were quickly coming up to a lake and the teens went to go turn so that they went around it, but the Minicons continued on their course. They raced across the surface of the water and the teens had a dumbfounded look on their faces.

"Oh as if!" Alexis shouted in shock.

"My thoughts exactly." Rad agreed.

"Suck up!" Carlos shouted at him, a grin stretched across his face.

They reached the other side of the lake and the Minicons started scaling the cliff. The teens started laughing, deciding that their robot friends could do just about anything. As they reached the top of the cliff, they saw the Decepticon leader Megatron standing there waiting for them. They all screamed as they managed to slip by underneath him without him grabbing them.

Rad glanced back and saw a confident smirk pressed against the giant purple and green robot. "Transform!" He shouted.

Rad's mouth would have hit the ground in shock if he wasn't almost paralyzed with fear. He watched as Megatron's body shifted around and when it was done, he was driving after them as a humongous tank.

"Rad!" Alexis shouted ahead of him. He looked up and almost swore.

There were three other robots standing there waiting for them and they all had the Decepticon insignia adorning their bodies. One was red and white with a set of wings on its back. Another was green with two different sized optics, which would have been funny if it wasn't probably about to kill them. The last one was white, purple, yellow, and pink with a helicopter blade attached to its back.

"Transform!" They all shouted.

The red and white robot turned into a fighter jet, the green robot turned into some type of tank, and the white, purple, yellow, and pink robot turned into a helicopter. The teens swallowed and urged their Minicons on, praying that they could outrun the larger robots.

They didn't get that lucky.

As Megatron drove just behind them, the green robot drove right in front of them, causing them to slow down in an attempt to avoid running into it. The helicopter flew down to block off a retreat to the left while the jet cut them off to the right. Megatron laughed cruelly behind them, sending terrified shivers down the teens' backs.

Just when they thought that they were doomed, they heard what sounded like a transport horn blare. They frowned at the noise, not sure why a transport would be all the way out there in the desert. Rad happened to glance back and watched as a red, white, and blue transport came out of no where and smashed clean into Megatron, knocking him off his treads and into the side of another rock wall. The other Decepticons broke formation and the teens saw this as a chance to get away.

The transport pulled up beside them as they stopped and opened the driver side door. They looked nervously at each other, unsure if they should trust the driverless transport. Alexis happened to glance back at the trailer that the transport was towing and she saw the Autobot insignia adorning it. She sighed slightly and got off of her partner. They both walked over to the transport and climbed in.

"Come on!" She shouted to the two hesitating boys.

Rad and Carlos looked at each other doubtfully. They heard something come down just behind them. They glanced over their shoulder and saw the green robot looking down at them. That did it. They both let out shouts as they raced to the transport, their Minicon partners right behind them, and they piled into the transport.

The green robot brought its face down to the driver's side window, causing the teens to scream in fear. The transport's engine started up and the green robot stepped in front of it, almost like it could stop a charging transport. The teens swore that they heard a sigh come from the transport before it shot at the Decepticon. The large robot yelped as it tried to dodge the laser blasts, doing a rather horrible dance. One hit it in the leg and the robot hit the ground with a thud. The teens watched in amazement as the transport drove overtop of the robot, not wasting a minute before it was speeding away.

The transport pulled up beside another rock wall and opened the door, signaling that they were to get out. The teens and their partners climbed out. They went to say thanks when they watched it shift around to form the tall female leader of the Autobots.

"You kids ok?" She asked, as she glanced down at them.

Rad and Carlos' mouth fell open in shock. Alexis nodded as she stared up at Optimus Prime. "Good." Optimus stated before she turned back towards the approaching Decepticons.

Megatron transformed and glared at Optimus. "Well, well." He growled. "You have a lot of nerve interfering."

Optimus only snorted as she braced herself for any attack. As the green robot went to fire, a yellow sportscar came tearing across the desert and swung the back end around, knocking the larger robot onto its back again. The sportscar sped over to them and transformed into a cocky-looking robot. Blue optics glanced down at the teens and Minicons before it stood beside Optimus, blocking them from sight.

Megatron growled as he glared at the yellow robot. He went to shout an order when the red and white robot was knocked end over end by a Search and Rescue Ambulance as it went barreling towards them. It transformed into red, blue, and white robot with a red visor. It stood on Optimus' other side without hesitating.

Megatron growled. "Take your Autobots and leave! Those Minicons are mine!" He snarled.

Optimus took a half-step forward. "The Minicons do not belong to anyone, Megatron." She stated calmly.

Megatron took a menacing step forward. "That's what you think." He growled as he whipped his gun around to face the gap between the Autobots' legs and took aim at the teens.

Megatron snarled as he fired a low powered shot at the teens. Optimus didn't waste a second to slam her hand down in front of them and stop the shot. The teens waited to hear her cry out in pain, but none came. Optimus glanced at them.

"You kids get to safety." She ordered.

They nodded before they took off at a run. Optimus stood back up and noticed that Megatron had a slight grin on his face. Optimus frowned underneath her face mask, wondering what he found so amusing. Megatron let out an almost inaudible purr but Optimus heard it loud and clear and knew what he was amused about; her body. She let out a disgusted hiss, not at all worried about anyone hearing her.

"Optimus Prime; Super Mode!" She shouted.

Her body went into another transformation. Her hands burst through where her feet use to be and the rest of her body folded up painlessly to form a torso. Her trailer unfolded and connected with her waist. Another battle mask covered her face and her golden optics were switch to red. She landed on the ground and faced a somewhat startled Megatron; he had never seen her in her Super Mode. She was taller than before and stronger; she wouldn't have as much trouble taking on Megatron now.

Megatron shook his head slightly before he chuckled. "Neat trick, Prime." He chuckled. "But that won't help you. Decepticons; ATTACK!" He shouted.

Optimus dodged an attack from the red and white robot as it lunged at her. "Back off Starscream." She growled.

Hot Shot leapt at the larger Decepticon. "I'll handle this scrap heap!" He snarled as he landed a punch to Starscream's stomach.

Optimus nodded, knowing that Hot Shot was more than able to handle himself. Although, that didn't stop her mothering instinct to tell him not to, to leave it for her or Red Alert, but she forced herself to ignore it. She turned towards Megatron and quickly dodged his fist as he tried to punch her. She caught his fists on his next attack and they went into a small battle to push the other around.

Megatron grinned as he moved his thumbs to the back of her hands and started stroking them gently. Optimus bit back a startled gasp. "You Pit-spawn!" She snarled. "Quit that!"

Megatron chuckled as he somehow managed to get closer to her. "Give me one good reason why I should, Oriona?" He purred.

Optimus glared up at her larger opponent. "Quit calling me that." She stated coldly. "You know that I no longer go by that name." She grinned behind her mask. "And to answer your question." She began before she pushed herself backwards so that she was falling onto her back. She pulled Megatron down with her and the moment that her back touched the ground, she brought her legs up and kicked Megatron overtop of her. She grinned as Megatron landed in a heap not too far away. She lifted herself back onto her feet. "That's why you shouldn't do that."

Megatron growled as he pushed himself back to his feet. He happened to glance over and watched as the green robot was slammed into the ground by Red Alert. "Pathetic." He grumbled.

He glanced back at Optimus and grinned. "Time to step up the tactics." He chuckled.

Optimus' optics widened in shock as a Minicon appeared on Megatron's shoulder. The Minicon transformed and attached itself to his hip near his gun. Megatron took aim at Optimus and started firing. Optimus almost burst out laughing as Megatron was shot backwards, his face fixed in panic as his footing slip and he fell backwards onto his back, his gun still firing. Optimus had to bite her lip to keep herself from laughing at Megatron's miscalculations of the amount of power the Minicon gave him.

"Megatron!" Starscream shouted as he landed beside his leader, now half buried in the ground, and pulled him to his feet.

Megatron glared at Optimus as she attempted to smother her laughter. "You think that's funny?" He demanded.

Optimus snorted as she tried to hold back her laughter. Megatron let out a low growl before a sudden cry went up.

"Megatron!" The white, purple, yellow, and pink helicopter Decepticon shouted. "I've found a Minicon!"

Megatron grinned as he looked at Optimus, who had a suddenly horrified look entering her optics. "Later, Prime." He half-purred. He activated the warp gate and the Decepticons vanished.

Optimus let out a low sigh. "Slag it Megatron." She muttered. "Must you make my spark flutter out of control every time you touch me?"

"Optimus!" Hot Shot shouted as he ran up to her. "Are you ok?" He asked, his blue optics full of fear.

Optimus smiled and returned to her original form. "I'm fine Hot Shot." She replied as she clapped his shoulder.

Rad, Carlos, Alexis, and their Minicons raced over to them. "We're sorry!" Rad shouted up to her. "We couldn't keep that helicopter guy away from the Minicon!"

Optimus kneeled down to their level. "You don't need to shout, I can hear you just fine." She said softly. "And don't worry; we'll get the Minicon back." She added.

Alexis looked up at her and smiled. "You're Optimus Prime, right?" She asked.

Optimus smiled and nodded. "And just how do you know that?" She asked.

Rad grinned. "There was this profile of you of on the Minicons' ship." He replied. "I've got to admit, you are amazing! You know, for a girl."

Optimus lifted an optic ridge. "You don't think that a femme is capable of fighting or leading an army?" She asked, in a somewhat amused voice.

Rad's eyes widened as he guessed that he had just insulted her. "No! I mean, girls don't lead armies very often here!" He squeaked.

Optimus laughed. "Don't worry, I'm the first femme Prime." She winked. "It's never been a femme to lead the Autobots before."

Red Alert walked over to them, a slight frown on his face. "I hate to be a pain, but we need to find a base to coordinate our next attack against the Decepticon." He stated. He glanced at her stomach and frowned. "And would it kill you to watch where Megatron's hands are?!" He demanded as he pointed to her stomach. "I just repaired that!"

Optimus glanced down at her stomach and touched the wound. "I didn't even know that was there." She replied. "And it isn't leaking that much energon." She added.

Red Alert sighed. "The life of a medic is never easy." He grumbled.

The teens chuckled at the antics of the soldiers. Optimus glanced down at them. "Would it be too much to ask if we can use the Minicons' ship as our base?" She asked.

The three Minicons nodded their heads and let out beeps of excitement. Optimus chuckled. "I guess I see your point." She replied. She looked at the teens and sighed. "The Minicons have requested that you stay with them." She stated.

Their faces lit up. "You serious?" Carlos asked. "We get to stay with you guys in this war?"

Optimus nodded her head. "That is the offer, even though I would personally prefer that you didn't; war isn't a place for younglings." She stated as she shot a quick glance at Hot Shot.

Rad let out a loud whoop. "I'm staying!" He shouted. The others let out similar shouts. They punched their fists together as they laughed. "All for one and one for all!" They laughed.

Hot Shot looked at them curiously. "What was that?" He asked.

"What was what?" Alexis asked.

"You just punched each other and found amusement from it." Hot Shot replied.

Carlos grinned. "It's because we're friends. We know that we won't hurt the other." He replied.

Hot Shot smiled. He brought his own fist close to Carlos. Carlos let out a surprised yip as he jumped away from the enormous fist. Hot Shot frowned. "Sorry." He mumbled. "I just wanted to punch fists with you."

Optimus smiled behind her mask. "I think it's safer if you didn't do that with the humans; you might hurt them." She stated as she held out her own fist.

Hot Shot's face lit up as he punched his fist into Optimus'. They laughed as Red Alert joined in. The three teens laughed as the giant robots tried out the handshake. "I just hope they don't hurt themselves." Carlos stated.

They glanced over at the Minicons and saw that they were trying it out too. They all laughed, ready for whatever came next.

**Author's note:** Ok, that will probably be the last chapter that follows the same line of the actual show. Hopefully the chapters will be ok, this one was done once again from memory. And I loved the image of Megatron flying backwards and the robots punching fists. Anyways, please review and tell me what you think.


	4. Memories of Days Gone By

Chapter 3 Memories of Days Gone By

"So, this is to help humans withstand extreme temperatures of water?" Hot Shot asked as he regarded the small, circular tub of water that the teens had brought up on a hologram machine.

Carlos laughed. "No way! It's a hot tub!" He replied.

"A hot…tub?" Optimus asked in confusion.

"Yah. Humans use them to relax." Alexis explained.

"See, you go in wearing a bathing suit and you adjust the temperature of the water to whatever you find enjoyable. Then you just kick back and relax." Rad explained.

"Hmm, interesting." Red Alert murmured.

"Optimus! Can we get one of those? Please?!" Hot Shot begged as he spun to face her. "Pretty please?!"

Optimus smiled behind her face mask. "I don't think they make something like that in "Transformer" sizes." She replied. "And, to be honest, it reminds me of those energon spa pools back on Cybertron." She added as she bent down to get a closer look at the hot tub.

Hot Shot's jaw hit the floor. "How do you know what those are like?!" He demanded. "Those are the most expensive things to make!"

Optimus froze. "Um, well, uh." Optimus stammered. "I had a friend that had one back before the war started." She lied quickly.

Hot Shot frowned. "Lucky." He muttered.

Red Alert frowned. "If I can find the materials, I could probably make one of these hot tubs." He stated. "Just going to make a few modifications so that the shape is more secure for our structures."

Optimus nodded. "If you feel up to it, go right ahead." She replied.

Hot Shot let out a loud whoop of joy. "Alright Red Alert! You're the best!" He shouted as he punched the air with his fist.

Optimus chuckled softly. "We've created a monster." She joked.

The teens laughed. "So, who was this friend of yours that had one of those energon hot tubs?" Alexis asked.

Optimus forced herself not to flinch. "An old friend that I haven't talked to in millennia." She replied. "I don't really like talking about it."

Alexis bowed her head. "Oh. Sorry Optimus." She murmured.

Optimus smiled and her optics twinkled down at the small girl. "Don't worry about it, Alexis. You didn't know." She replied. _'And you would never understand how painful it is to remember those days.'_ She added to herself.

Alexis smiled shyly back up at the Autobot leader. She turned back towards Hot Shot, who was talking very quickly with Red Alert about what colour the hot tub should be, leaving Optimus to brood with her thoughts.

'_Things have changed so much since then.'_ She thought bitterly. _'There are days when I wish that things could just be like those old days. No war, no worrying about whether or not Hot Shot or any of my other comrades are going to die…and maybe, just maybe, I would have been able to keep the twins.'_ She closed her optic shutters at that last thought, her spark constricting painfully in her chest. She dug into her memories and brought up one of her favourites from before the war started.

**Begin Flashback**

Oriona sighed. "What a day." She grumbled as she dragged her feet through the house. "As if Starscream didn't have anything better to do today than start a scrap match with Megatron…and right in front of the house. Thank Primus they didn't hurt each other!" She shook her head. "You'd think those two were hated enemies instead of best friends! Mechs!"

She pushed a door open to the "energon" room and grinned. "I guess a little dunk in the tub wouldn't hurt. I do need to calm my frayed circuits down." She murmured as she shut the door behind her.

She walked over to the energon tub and turned it on. "Ok, a little warmer, there. Perfect." She mused as the energon heated up and bubbled slightly.

She shot a glance over her shoulder and let out a soft sigh. "Ok, as long as Wingdagger doesn't decide to suddenly drop by to chat, I should be able to relax." She stated to herself. "No worries. And, Megatron isn't going to be back for a little while since he wanted to make sure that Starscream made it back ok, so that's another less stressful thing gone." She added. She loved Megatron dearly, but sometimes she just didn't want to know the extent of his or Starscream's damage to one another.

She quickly stripped her armor off until she was only wearing her breast plate and pelvic plates; she didn't want to be completely naked if someone decided to walk in on her. She gently eased herself into the heated energon and let out a sigh of contentment. She inhaled deeply as she moved herself around the tub to find a comfortable place to sit. She wrapped her arms around herself as she leant her head against the rim of the tub, enjoying every moment. The energon flowing around her, the sound of the jets churning the energon around so that the heat was evenly distributed, and the relaxing sensation that she was getting was extremely pleasing, especially after watching Megatron and Starscream duke it out; that was not something she enjoyed watching. She didn't want to see them tearing into one another like a couple of feral cybercats, it made her fuel tank turn.

A soft chuckled made her glance up from her musing. Her optics widened as she tried to force herself lower into the energon and out of her watcher's line of vision. It was a wasted effort.

"You didn't feel like inviting me?" Megatron asked as he leant against the side of the tub, his forearms resting on the rim as he looked at her.

Oriona looked down into her lap through the churning energon. "It's not that I just…I just…." She stammered.

Megatron chuckled again before he stripped his armor off, and his gun, until he was only wearing his pelvic plate. He eased himself into the tub and half-walked, half-swam over to her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to him.

"I was joking around Oriona." He murmured.

Oriona looked up at him and saw that he was smiling softly. She smiled back, loving that the smile was reaching his normally cold, red optics. "Well, I wasn't sure." She murmured as she rested her head against his chest.

Megatron laughed, his chest moving and shaking Oriona around until she giggled. "It's not like I would hurt you, my love." He stated.

Oriona frowned. "You sure don't have a problem hurting Starscream." She stated a little coldly.

"That was nothing." He replied with a wave of his hand. "We _always_ fight like that. He says some stupid or smart-aft remark and we rough each other up. We wouldn't kill each other, if that's what you're worried about." He added as he lifted her chin up to look him in the face.

Oriona sighed. "Well, the way it looks makes me think that you want to kill each other." She shuddered. "You should see your face. It gets all twisted up and you look like you're after his spark. It's terrifying." She whimpered.

Megatron tilted his head slightly as his face fell. "I'm sorry that you have to see that then, my love." He murmured as his arms tightened around her tiny frame. "I don't want you to be afraid." He added as he lowered his head and kissed her lips softly.

Oriona placed a hand on his face, gently caressing his cheek as they kissed. "I know you don't." She replied. She pulled back and smiled. "You know that it isn't _you_ I'm afraid of." She purred. "It's that monster you become while you are fighting that scares me."

Megatron's red optics flashed. "Oh? And want to know what _I'm_ afraid of?" He asked with a husky voice.

Oriona frowned. "What? You're afraid of something? The all-powerful, unstoppable, indestructible Megatron? You're _**afraid**_of something?" She asked in a mock shocked voice.

Megatron growled playfully as he pulled Oriona into his lap. "Yes. I am afraid of losing you." He stated before he captured her lips and kissed her passionately.

Oriona smiled as she returned the kiss. "That's something I can understand." She murmured in between their kiss. "Don't all mechs fear losing their mates?"

Megatron chuckled. "True." He replied. He touched the tip of his nose to hers and smiled. "But most move on after they lose their mates. I would never get over it." He stated as he kissed her again. "You are my spark, my life, my whole world Oriona Pax." He murmured as he ran his hands along her exposed midsection, slowly sliding them towards her chest. "If I lost you, I would go mad from the sadness that would befall me."

Oriona smiled as she ran her hand along his horns, earning a moan of pleasure from her larger mate. "Then I won't leave you." She whispered as she kneeled on Megatron's legs and brought her face close to his so that their lips were brushing gently against each other. "If you ever left me, I don't know what I would do." She added.

Megatron chuckled before he captured her lips again. "You would miss me more than we could ever say." He replied. "Just as I would."

Oriona closed her optics as she returned the kiss. She was holding both of Megatron's horns in her hands, using her thumbs to gently massage them. Megatron wrapped his arms around her body as he stood up, a familiar twinkle entering his optics as he stepped out of the tub and turned it off. He walked out the door with both of them still dripping energon and walked towards their room. Oriona smiled as she nuzzled her face into his neck as she grew excited; she knew what Megatron had in mind for them and she was all for it.

**End Flashback**

"Earth to Optimus. Come in Optimus!" Hot Shot shouted.

Optimus shook her head. "Wha?" She asked in surprise.

"You "spaced-out", as the humans say." Red Alert replied.

Optimus blushed under her mask. She was very happy to have it for situations like this. "Oh. My apologizes." She replied.

Hot Shot shook his head. "Mom, seriously, you do that about once every few days! What do you keep thinking about?" He asked. He grinned as Optimus' optics widened and she glanced at the floor. "Chill out. The kids left a few minutes ago."

Optimus shot Hot Shot a "you-are-asking-for-a-slap" look before she shook her head. "I…just keep thinking about what it will be like when this war is over." She lied, praying that her voice remained even.

Hot Shot laughed. "Really? That's all? Mom, everything will be just fine! We will finally be at peace and we won't have Decepticons screwing everything up! It will be great! And just think, we may finally get to see the Twins for once!" He added with an enthusiastic smile. "It will be great to show them how awesome a Big Brother I am!"

Optimus nodded as tears threatened to fall down her face. "Yes, it will be nice to have them close by." She agreed.

Hot Shot started talking again, but Optimus couldn't grasp anything he was saying; once again, her memories were playing in front of her optics.

**Begin Flashback**

Optimus cradled the two tiny mechs to her chest as she stood just on the inside of the doors leading into the base. "Thank you again Landmine. I owe you." She murmured as she looked down at her old teacher.

The burly mech shrugged as he smiled. "It's nothing Ori…I mean Optimus. Besides, I'm sure Mudflap will like the company once he grows up a little." He stated. He picked one of the sparklings up and cradled it to his chest. "So, what are their names?" He asked.

Optimus smiled as she wiped a tear away from her face. "The one that you are holding is Sideswipe." She replied as she pointed to the little blue and black mech in Landmine's arms. "And this," she said as she touched the other sparkling's cheek, "is Ironhide." She murmured as she kissed the little blue, red, and white mech.

"Sideswipe and Ironhide." Landmine repeated. "I'll take good care of them, don't you worry. They'll be the best mechs you ever met…well…that were younger than you and not a potential mate." He stated with a grin.

Optimus laughed slightly. "Landmine!" She scolded. "Is that any way to talk to the Prime leader of the Autobots?"

Landmine smiled. "Maybe…who says I'm not talking to my old student Oriona Pax?" He asked.

Optimus laughed again. "Touché." She replied.

Landmine chuckled once before he frowned. "I bet Jetfire and Hot Shot aren't too pleased with this arrangement." He muttered as he shifted Sideswipe to the crook of his arm.

Optimus sighed. "No, Hot Shot isn't impressed. He thinks that we can keep them safe. He doesn't know that Megatron would do anything to get his hands on one of my offspring." She replied. "He doesn't know that Megatron would claim them as his own; he considers whatever is mine to be his. I don't want him to ever find out about my sons, Hot Shot included." She added.

Landmine nodded as he handed Sideswipe back to Optimus. "Don't worry." He said before he transformed to allow Optimus to place the sparklings inside of his alt. mode. "He won't even know they were here or that they existed." He stated.

Optimus nodded. "Thank you." She murmured as Landmine drove away from the base. "Keep them safe."

**End Flashback**

"MOM!" Hot Shot shouted.

"Huh?" Optimus asked as she snapped back to reality.

"You did it AGAIN!" Hot Shot moaned.

"Oh, sorry." Optimus apologized.

"Thinking about the Twins?" Red Alert asked.

Optimus nodded. "I only had them for a few days." She murmured. "They would be almost full grown by now."

Hot Shot took a step forward. "So we need to finish this war so that we can spend whatever time we can with them." He stated angrily. "It's Megatron's fault that we had to send them away! I say we make him pay for everything he's done!"

Optimus bit her lip. She forced her optics to appear angry and nodded. "Agreed." She growled, hoping that she sounded at least half-convincing. _'You have no idea, Hot Shot, how true that statement is. Or that he is the reason behind your creation…or that if he hadn't hurt me all those millennia ago, you and I would probably BE Decepticons.'_ She added to herself.

**Author's Note:** There, next chapter up! Ok, I think the hot tub thing was based on Mistress Megatron's _Her Passionate Road Home_, so I give the points for it to her. Anyways, as was pointed out in many of my reviews, yes, Sideswipe IS Sunstreaker's twin; but, since Sunstreaker doesn't make an appearance in the Unicron Trilogy, he isn't one of Prime's kids. Ironhide from _Energon _shall be his twin. Why? Because I love that guy! And I decided to include both Scavenger and Landmine since they are both credited as being Prime's teachers so yah. Anyways, just wanted to clear that up with anyone who is beyond confused about everything. Hope you enjoyed that, so please leave me a nice review. Please refrain from flaming though.


	5. Need We Say More?

"_**Blah."**_ Spark bond talk.

Chapter 4 Need We Say More? 

Hot Shot was in the shooting range all by himself. Red Alert was busy fixing his med bay and Optimus was…doing something, whether or not it was to do with the war, he didn't have a clue. He didn't bother asking his mother what she was doing anymore. She always seemed to be off somewhere, almost like her CPU wouldn't let her focus on the world around her. It was a little disturbing and he already had to tell the teens that Optimus was ok a few times because she had suddenly drawn into herself. The teens had shouted for her to snap out of it to no success; whatever she was thinking about, it wouldn't let her focus on anything else. 

"What is distracting her?" Hot Shot asked out loud. 

"There is a lot on her mind lately." Red Alert stated as he walked over to him. "She's been trying to get some things sorted out. You know that she hasn't had the easiest life."

Hot Shot sighed. "I know. I just wish she would stop drifting off the way she does." He stated.

Red Alert picked up a gun that was lying out on a table and nodded. "It is a little unnerving, but Optimus needs to figure out everything in her own time. Some things take a while to get over; being hurt the way she was in the past is one of those things." He explained.

Hot Shot frowned. "I wish she would tell me what happened." He sighed.

Red Alert looked away. "She'll tell you when she feels the time is right." He replied.

While Hot Shot and Red Alert shot at some of the targets, Optimus was sitting on her recharge bed. She had her legs drawn up to her chest and her head was resting on her knees. She didn't _feel_ like Optimus Prime at the moment. She felt like some lost little femme who shouldn't be anywhere near the war, shouldn't be leading an entire army, or be fighting against someone that she still loved. She hated that she could feel so lost and even worse that she _wanted _and _craved_ Megatron's attention. She wanted to feel his arms wrapped around her, his broad chest pressed against her back, and his deep voice telling her that everything would be alright; just like he used to when she thought that everything was falling apart around her. He would always make her feel better when they used to be together. The words he used, the way he held her, and the way he just was; something about him had always made her feel at ease, like he would always protect her.

"Why?" She whimpered. "Why do I miss him?"

She felt tears build up behind her optics. "He hurt me. He abused me…he technically raped me. So why do I miss him so much that I feel like there is a huge hole in my spark?" She whispered.

She decided, why she didn't know or where the decision even came from, that she would remove the Matrix of Leadership for a few minutes. She opened her chest compartment and removed the Matrix. The minute she placed it on the side table beside her recharge bed, she felt a familiar tug at her spark. She took a deep breath before she allowed whoever it was into her spark. She almost regretted it. Almost.

"_**Well, how nice of you to allow me entry, Oriona."**_ Megatron's deep, dark voice cooed.

"_**Don't take it as a sign of surrender."**_ She replied a little coldly.

"_**Hmm, I'll keep that in mind."**_ Megatron replied. _**"I've missed you."**_

Optimus couldn't find the words to describe how she felt and instead closed her optics. She rolled onto her back and tried to stop herself from crying.

"_**Don't cry."**_ Megatron whispered softly. _**"Don't cry. I'm right here."**_

Optimus felt a tear run down her face as she smiled to herself. _**"Suddenly caring for me won't make me run to your side."**_ She stated plainly.

"_**I've always carried, Oriona."**_ Megatron whispered softly. _**"Always."**_

"_**Sure, sure. If you cared you wouldn't have hurt me!"**_ Optimus snapped.

"_**Oriona, don't remind me of that. I hated that I did that to you."**_ Megatron stated darkly.

"_**You deserve to be reminded."**_ Optimus snapped. _**"I almost died!"**_

Optimus felt a sudden wave of apology flow through her. _**"I swear I didn't mean to hurt you." **_Megatron stated softly. _**"I don't know what came over me that night."**_

Optimus growled to herself. _**"Just keep telling yourself that! You are an abusive, over-sized, slag-tard!" **_She snapped.

Optimus suddenly felt herself being dragged somewhere and tried to scream. Her already closed optics didn't help anything; it only added to the fear that she felt. Only when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her was she able to open her eyes. She tried to scream again as she saw Megatron hovering overtop of her. Megatron smiled down at her as he pulled her closer to him. He kissed her softly on the lips, stopping her from crying out.

"_**Hush."**_ Megatron whispered. _**"Do you remember that spark-mates can pull each other into a secured region of their sparks?" **_

Optimus let out a shattered breath. _**"No, I had forgotten." **_She replied.

Megatron smiled as he kissed her again. _**"I figured that this would be the best way to have you in my arms again."**_ He whispered. _**"I hate being away from you."**_

Optimus snuggled into Megatron's chest. She didn't want to voice her thoughts truthfully. She wanted to find some way to stop Megatron from trying to get her back. She didn't want to cave in to his charismatic personality. _**"We are enemies."**_ She stated bluntly. _**"We're supposed to hate each other."**_

Megatron smiled as he caressed her cheek. _**"Oh, I hate you in front of the other soldiers."**_ He said softly. _**"But I could never, ever hate you. You are my mate, whether you want to admit it or not."**_

Optimus closed her optics. _**"It would be easier on me if you just forgot about me."**_ She stated.

Megatron lifted her head up to look at him in the optic. _**"I can't just forget about you. You captured my spark when we were together. A part of me is still with you."**_ He purred as he kissed her. 

Optimus felt tears race down her face. _**"Then don't expect to get it back."**_ She whispered as she pulled away from Megatron. _**"Because I never want to be with you again."**_ She whispered as she pushed away from Megatron and headed back to her reality.

When Optimus left, Megatron sighed. "You couldn't just give in to me, could you Oriona?" He asked softly as he opened his optics.

He sighed as he sat up on his recharge bed. He shook his head as he stood up and walked over to a place on the wall. He touched a certain place and the wall pulled back to reveal a closet with a dummy dressed in red and blue armor. He grinned.

"Soon." He whispered. "Very soon Oriona, you will be mine." He stated as he smiled at the same coloured armor that Optimus once had. He was determined to get _his_ Oriona back. He planned on capturing Optimus and destroying the image of the Autobot leader and replacing it with her old image as Oriona. He enjoyed her antennas; they were an extra sensitive place to touch and hear her moan with pleasure, so he was planning on leaving them, but the rest of her armor was going to be replaced with the armor that was hanging in the closet.

He wouldn't let Optimus continue to exist away from him. Any Autobot that stood in his way would be destroyed, not that they would be spared anyways; he was going to conquer the Universe so no Autobot could survive and run the risk of destroy his attempt at controlling everything. Any sparklings that Optimus may have sparked would be taken in but he seriously doubted that she had a sparklings. After all, what were the chances that those times that they had bonded had caused her to conceive? And since he still had her connect to his spark, she never remated and had any other mech's sparkling. 

If only he knew how far from the truth he was.

**Author's note:** Megatron is on the borderline of obsession. But what do you expect from him? He doesn't know anything about Hot Shot being his son, or about the twins. So he will get a huge shock when he finds out. Not sure when that will happen, but it will come eventually. Optimus misses Megatron, but doesn't want to admit it. So, please review and tell me what you think. Also, some ideas for upcoming chapters are kind of needed. I'm not sure how to get this thing going. Got everything planned out, but no clue how to get there. So please review.


	6. I Raise My Hands And I Surrender Part 1

Chapter 5 I Raise My Hands And I Surrender

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Transformers in any way shape or form. I don't own "Flirting With Me" by Jason Blaine, "I Surrender", "Stupid Boy" by Keith Urban, "Car Wash" by Christina Aguilera, or "No Way Out" by Phil Collins from _Brother Bear_. I just own the plot.

A special thanks to Asmyth for helping me come up with the chapter.

Chapter 5 I Raise My Hands And I Surrender Part 1

"So, you're ok with this?" Rad asked nervously.

Optimus nodded. "Go ahead. I'd actually enjoy hearing this Earth music." She replied. "I'd like to see if it's anything like the music back home."

Carlos grinned. "Awesome! Alexis! Where is that CD of yours?" He asked.

Alexis pulled a CD out of her backpack and sighed. "Right here Carlos." She replied handing him the CD. "Knock yourself out."

Carlos happily inserted the CD into the computer in front of him, jacking the volume up on the speakers, and hit the play button. And upbeat tune of guitars and drums started playing and the three teens started bobbing to the beat. Optimus and Hot Shot even found themselves tapping their foot along to the beat, to the amusement of the teens.

**There's lipstick on a long neck,**

**And a barstool underneath a short dress,**

**And high heels tapping time with the band.**

Hot Shot laughed as he glanced over at Optimus as that verse played. Optimus gave him a stern look before she smiled and shook her head. She tapped her heel a little harder against the ground, earning an extra laugh from the teens.

**If you're lucky you might get to**

**Get a glimpse of a butterfly tattoo**

**That flutters on the small of her back.**

**And the honky-tonk starts to shake,**

**With every move that she makes.**

Optimus laughed as Hot Shot tried to pull off a dance move that the kids were doing only to end up falling backwards into the table behind him.

**She turns the radi up loud!**

**She stands out in a crowd. **

**Just play my favourite song; **

**The one that goes "Yee-haw!" **

**Everyone singing along.**

**To the rhythm of the music**

**On the neon lights, **

**Wanting and wishing they could hold her tight.**

**Hotter than a hundred degrees.**

**Yah I don't know for certain but I think that girl is flirting with me.**

**She's a sweet dream,**

**She's a heart attack,**

**She's a 4X4,**

**She's a Cadillac.**

**She anything and everything good.**

**She's a hurricane, **

**She's a blue sky.**

**She's the girl-next-door,**

**But she ain't shy.**

**She's Heartland and she's Hollywood.**

**And I swear a couple times**

**She flashed those "come and get me" eyes.**

**And turns the radi up loud,**

**She stands out in a crowd.**

**Just play my favourite song;**

**The one that goes "Yee-haw!",**

**Everybody singing along.**

**To the rhythm of the music on the neon lights.**

**Wanting and wishing they could hold her tight.**

**Hotter than a hundred degrees.**

**Yah, I don't know for certain but I think that girl is flirting with me.**

"I bet Jetfire would love this song." Hot Shot chuckled as he winked at Optimus.

"Who's Jetfire?" Carlos asked as he turned towards Optimus but continued to dance.

Optimus glared at Hot Shot. "He's the Second in Command of the Autobots…and my boyfriend in a way." She explained.

Carlos let out a whistle. "See! I told you she had some of her comrades after her!" He shouted.

Optimus' optics widened. "Excuse me?!" She demanded.

"Opps."

**She turns the radi up loud,**

**She stands out in a crowd.**

**Just play my favourite song;**

**The one that goes "Hell yah!" **

**Everybody singing along**

**To the rhythm of the music on the neon lights.**

**Wanting and wishing they could hold her tight.**

**Hotter than a hundred degrees.**

**Yah, I don't know for certain but I think that girl's flirting with me.**

**Yah, I don't know for certain, but I think that girl's flirting with me!**

"Not only was that inappropriate, Carlos, but insulting as well!" Optimus snapped as she placed her hands on her hips. "Jetfire and I were dating _before_ I became Prime!"

Carlos kicked the ground nervously. "Sorry Optimus." He murmured.

Optimus sighed. "You're just lucky that I know how men act. I won't hold it against you…this time." She stated with a wink.

Alexis continued to hum "Flirting With Me"as she changed the song from "Car Wash" to something else.

**Well she was precious, like a flower.**

**She grew wild and wild but innocent.**

**The perfect prayer in a desperate hour.**

**She was everything beautiful and different.**

**Stupid boy;**

**You can't fence that in, stupid boy.**

**It's like holding back the wind.**

**She laid her heart and soul right in your hands;**

**And you stole her every dream and you crushed her plans.**

**She never even knew she had a choice,**

**And that's what happens when the only voice she hears**

**Is telling her she can't.**

**Stupid boy.**

**Stupid boy.**

Optimus turned her head away from the others as the verses repeated in her head. Mental images of Megatron telling her not to do something, mostly because it was risky and impulsive, played in front of her optics. Then, an image of an infuriated Megatron with his fist raised, poised to strike, flashed before her. She flinched slightly and glanced down at the teens. They were swaying slightly to the beat and Alexis had her eyes closed and a single tear slid down her face as she smiled.

**So, what did make you think that you could take her life,**

**And just push it and push it around?**

**Just to build yourself up so high,**

**You had to take her and break her down.**

**She laid her heart and soul right in your hands**

**And you stole her every dream and you crushed her plans. **

**She never even knew she had a choice,**

**And that's what happens when the only voice she hears**

**Is telling her she can't.**

**You stupid boy!**

**Oh, you always had to be right**

**And now you've lost the only thing that's ever made you feel alive!**

Optimus wondered if it was possible for Megatron to hear the song through her. It was certainly a slap in the face for her, so it would be like being punched at how startlingly accurate the song was to their actual situation.

**She laid her heart and soul right in your hands;**

**And you stole her every dream and you crushed her plans! **

**She never even knew she had a choice**

**And that's what happens when the only voice she hears**

**Is telling her she can't!**

**You stupid boy!**

**Oh, I'm the same old, same old stupid boy.**

**It took a while for her to figure out she could run;**

**And when she did, she was**

**Long gone, long gone.**

Optimus blinked painfully back on her tears. "Alexis?" She asked. The brunette looked up at her and her mouth opened in shock. "Could you change the song please?"

Alexis nodded as she rushed back to the computer monitor and quickly changed the song. She looked up at Optimus and bowed her head. "Are you ok?" She asked softly.

Optimus closed her optics and nodded her head. "Fine. Just…remembering someone I wish that I could forget about." She replied.

Alexis' mouth opened in a large "O" as she turned back to the computer monitor and clicked down on the screen. "Hopefully this one is better." She stated as she hit play.

**I can't pretend anymore**

**That I am not affected,**

**I'm not moved.**

**I can lie to myself**

**That I'm not **

**Always thinking of you.**

"_Oh, I don't think this is going to be any better."_ Optimus predicted but kept her mouth shut; she didn't want to ruin the teens' fun.

**You make me strong.**

**Show me I'm not weak to fall in love.**

**What I thought I'd never need.**

**Now I can't get enough.**

**I've always made it on my own.**

**I always thought that I would keep control.**

**You've changed everything I've believed in.**

**And, now I just can't fight this feeling, baby.**

**I raise my hands and I surrender!**

**Cuz your love is too strong and I can't go on**

**Without your tender arms around me.**

**I raise my hands and I surrender.**

**I don't want to resist**

**Because your touch and your kiss**

**Have shattered my defenses.**

**I surrender.**

Optimus felt her breath catch in her throat. Her mind and her body believed that Megatron's arms were tightening around her waist and his mouth was gently kissing her neck, just like they use to when she was feeling down or just before he told her that she was the most amazing femme in the Universe. She had always loved that he thought that way about her. She began to breath faster as she closed her optics and tried to push the feeling away. This song was just too much of an irony of her life and her internal battle.

**I have to admit that I,**

**I never thought I'd need someone this way.**

**Cuz you opened my eyes,**

**Saw that I could,**

**That I could see so much more!**

**I've always made it on my own.**

**I always thought that I would keep control.**

**You've changed everything I believe in.**

**And now I just can't fight this feeling baby!**

**I raise my hands and I surrender!**

**Cuz your love is too strong and I can't go on**

**Without your tender arms around me.**

**I raise my hands and I surrender!**

**I don't want to resist because your touch and your kiss**

**Have shattered my defenses.**

**I surrender.**

"_No!"_ Optimus screamed in her mind. _"No I don't! I will never surrender to this need! I can't! I won't! I…." _

**I surrender this feeling in my heart.**

**I surrender to the safety of your arms.**

**To the touch of your lips,**

**To the taste of your kisses!**

Optimus inhaled angrily. "I…I have to leave for a little while." She managed to wheeze out.

She quickly left the room and headed towards the warp gate. She quickly punched in the coordinates to the local forest and transformed. As soon as she got the warp gate activated, she felt herself being pulled away from the base and into the forest.

She let out a shaky breath as she transformed and stumbled towards the lake. She collapsed at the shoreline and felt tears streak down her face. She let out a sob as the tears fell into the water below her. She looked down at her reflection and wanted to smash the image she saw.

She didn't see herself; she saw a foreign pair of optics staring at her from the depth of the lake. The face mask looked awkward on her face and she didn't like the way she looked at all. She looked lost, scared, and incredibly weak, like some wind could come along and snap her in half. She let out another sob as she crumpled against the ground. She curled around her stomach as she knelt on the ground. She knelt there crying, not caring if anyone came and saw her like this. She needed this; too many thousand years worth of pain was pouring out of her, and she didn't think it was going to stop soon.

**There's no way out of this dark place;**

**No hope, no future.**

**I know I can't be free.**

**But I can't see another way.**

**And I can't face another day.**

She heard a soft crunching noise behind her before a pair of hands grabbed her shoulders gently and pulled her to her feet. She was turned around and she stared up into Megatron's red optics. She sniffled as she felt her knees give out underneath her and she slumped in his hands. Megatron bent his knees slightly as a reaction to her sudden weakness and drew her closer to him as his large hand, in comparison to her, ran gently against her back.

"Ssh, Oriona, don't cry." He whispered as he pulled back. He lifted her head up to look at him and he frowned. "Primus, I hate that face mask!" He growled.

His hand grabbed the corner of the face mask and ripped it off. Optimus yelped as she watched him crush the face mask in his hands and throw the remains away. He smiled down at her and moved closer to her again. His arms wrapped around her body, gently enfolding her in his once reassuring embrace.

"There's my beautiful Oriona." He whispered as he leant his forehead against hers. "Oh, how good it is to have you in my arms."

Optimus looked up at him and swallowed back her tears.

**I raise my hands and I surrender.**

**Cuz your love is too strong and I can't go on**

**Without your tender arms around me.**

She let out a choked sob as she tried to pull away from Megatron. She looked so pathetic and hated that she wanted to cave into Megatron's reassuring embrace. Megatron held her tightly to him, knowing that she could only hurt herself if she continued to flail around the way she was. He ran his hand gently along her head, soft hushing noises escaping his lips as he tried to calm her down.

**I don't want to resist**

**Because your touch and you kiss, **

**Have shattered my defenses.**

**I surrender.**

**I surrender to this feeling in my heart.**

**I surrender to the safety of your arms.**

**To the touch of your lips, **

**To the taste of your kisses!**

Optimus choked again as she slumped against his chest as tears flowed down her face. "Stop!" She screamed. "Just leave me alone!"

Megatron merely shook his head as he caressed her cheek. "No." He replied simply. He waited until she glared up at him before he moved in.

He pressed his lips to hers and kissed her. Optimus' optics widened in shock before she collapsed against his chest again and just let him kiss her. She believed that when he had enough, he would leave her alone. Megatron seemed to look suddenly dejected and Optimus prayed that he was losing interest in her. Once he lost interest, she would make a break for it. However, one of his arms tightened around her while the other one reached behind him into his subspace. Her optics widened as she saw the needle in his hands as he brought his hand back into view. He pulled his lips away from her as his one hand tilted her head to expose her neck and major fuel lines.

"I'm sorry." He whispered before he inserted the needle into her neck and injected the contents into her body.

She slumped in his arms as the foreign substance kicked in immediately and the whole world began to spin around her. "Why?" She managed to gargle out.

She watched as Megatron's head came closer to her and she felt his lips press against hers. "It's the only way to get you away from here." He whispered. "I don't need that foolish youngling to get in my way." He added.

"Hot Shot." She gargled as blackness began to cloud her vision. "Leave him alone."

Megatron's fingers ran along her face as she passed out in his arms. "Very well. I won't harm him…for now." He whispered as he activated the warp gate back to Earth's moon and the location of the Decepticon base.

**Author's note:** Well, what do you think?! Optimus didn't really give in to Megatron, but she didn't really put up an impressive fight. I mean, come on, she was crying! Can't really do anything when that's happening. But then again, all that turmoil inside of her was bound to break sooner or later. Who knew a few songs could affect someone that much. But then again, she did have a rather…troublesome past. I love the songs that were in the chapter and I was looking forward to using "I Surrender" for a while! I love it! Anyways, leave me a review and tell me what you think! Thanks again to asmyth for helping me come up with the idea for the chapter. Any other ideas are welcome and I may very well put them into the story if I can figure out a way.


	7. I Raise My Hands And I Surrender Part 2

Chapter 6 I Raise My Hands And I Surrender Part 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Transformers in any way, shape, or form. I only own this plot.

Chapter 6 I Raise My Hands And I Surrender Part 2

Optimus became aware of a set of lips pressed against hers. She knew who they belonged to. How could she ever forget? The same lips that use to kiss her every morning to wake her up, the same lips that always spoke the sweetest words, spin the most beautiful dreams that she could have ever imagined, the same lips that she never could get enough of. She felt the rest of her pressed against a hard, compact body and she wanted more. She wanted to see the face that always made her spark stop pulsing, she wanted to wrap her arms around the neck of her spark mate, and lastly, she wanted to feel him, wanted to explore the body that was his and feel the same happening to her…almost like they had that first time away from the Academy without permission, when she had felt just how much he loved her. But she knew that if she turned her optics on, the illusion would break and she would find herself in her own quarters all alone, most likely with Hot Shot pounding on her door to ask what was taking her so long to get up.

She sighed softly before she powered up her optics. When she was able to focus, her optics widened and she opened her mouth to scream. Megatron took advantage of that and slid his glossa into her mouth, purring as he mapped out the interior. Optimus shook her head angrily as she tried to pull away from him, but Megatron held her still. He had his arms wrapped around her waist and held her possessively to his chest.

Megatron finally removed his mouth from hers and licked his lips. "Well, that was pleasant." He commented with a smile. "Up until that last minute when you began to struggle."

Optimus shook her head angrily. "How?" She whispered. "How did I get here?" She demanded. "Where am I? Why are YOU here!?"

Megatron smiled as he pulled her even closer to him and nuzzled his head into her neck. He exhaled gently on her and she shivered as pure ecstasy raced through her. "In order, I injected a sedative into your systems. You are in the Decepticon base. And I am here because this is my quarters." He whispered as he nibbled on her neck.

Optimus froze. "How long have I been out?" She whispered fearfully.

Megatron chuckled. "A couple of days." He replied. "Those Autobots are really sad. They don't seem to function properly with a leader. I do believe that Hot Shot is increasingly worried about you. He and that fool Smokescreen can not seem to understand direct orders to find an activated Minicon." He chuckled.

Optimus pushed against Megatron's chest in a futile attempt to get away. "Leave me alone." She growled.

Megatron let out a snort as he pulled back. "Is that supposed to be a threat?" He asked. He looked into Optimus' golden optics and sighed. "My dear Orion, when will you learn? I can't get enough of you." He purred as he pulled back slightly to run his hand along her chest plate. "I never seem to be able to get enough of you, whether it's through interfacing or simple kisses, I just can't get enough."

Optimus growled again. "Well, I guess I'll just have to leave you unsatisfied!" She snarled as she tried to fight against him and break out of his embrace.

Megatron chuckled. "Unless you want to run through the base with a bunch of interface-starved mechs, I suggest you stop struggling." He stated.

Optimus glared at him. "I'll take my chances." She spat as she used her legs to kick him repeatedly in the stomach, which wasn't doing anything. "I have my wrist cannons."

Megatron smiled as he brought his face close to hers, so close that she feel his breath on her face and almost taste his lips. "No you don't." He whispered.

Optimus froze. "What do you mean?" She demanded.

Megatron chuckled as he brushed his lips against hers. "Take a look at yourself." He whispered as he ran his hand along her side.

Optimus frowned. She glanced down at herself and once again tried to scream. Megatron silenced her with his lips. She looked at her armor in a mixture of fear and shock. Her armor had been replaced by an assortment of red and blue plating. She looked almost identical to what she used to as Oriona Pax, give or take the fact that she was a good deal taller than before.

"What did you do?!" She demanded as she glared into Megatron's optics.

Megatron smiled again. "Oh, nothing. Just returned you to what you are." He replied. He frowned and shook his head. "Oriona, you can't keep playing this game. Leading an army is not a game; you could get yourself killed. This is not the time to be playing dress up."

Optimus felt her anger building. "You…you…you infuriating, Pit-spawned, piece of scrap, useless fragger!" She screamed.

Megatron blinked in surprise. "I think that is the most amount of curses that I have ever heard leave you mouth." He stated. He grinned. "My, my, you have a dirty mouth. Let me clean it for you." He purred as he moved in to kiss her again.

Optimus squeaked in surprise as Megatron captured her lips again. She struggled to get away, and would have succeeded…if Megatron hadn't chosen that moment to run his hand along her antennas. She felt her body melt into him, enjoying the caressing. She moaned in pleasure as his glossa slid across her lips, begging to be accepted. She parted her lips and felt him enter her mouth. His glossa slid over ever possible surface, almost like he was cleaning her mouth. When he pulled away, Optimus couldn't stop the upset groan from escaping her. She wanted more, much, much more

Megatron smiled as he went to kiss her again, but his com-link chose that moment to go off. Megatron growled as he pulled away and sat up. "What?" He snapped.

"Um, well, uh, I think you want to see this." Demolisher yipped.

Megatron growled. "Very well. But mark my words, if this proves to be a useless glitch in the systems, you will pay for this." He snarled. A tiny yip of fear ran out before the line went dead. Megatron growled again as he stood up. He turned towards Optimus and smiled softly. "I'll be right back. This shouldn't take too long." He stated before he walked out of the room.

Optimus sighed. "Oh, and it was just starting to get good." She huffed as she crossed her arms angrily in front of her chest. Her optics widened and she slammed a hand over her mouth. "Did I just say that?" She whispered in horror.

She leapt to her feet and stared around her. She didn't want to run into any of the Decepticons at the moment, not when she didn't have a weapon on her. She frowned. Well, she did always keep those metal balls in her subspace, but she didn't have enough to take on the four Decepticons, including Megatron, and their powerful forms when they combine with their Minicon partners. She shook her head. She needed to find out where Megatron had hidden her armor. Sure, she had spare ones, but that was on Earth, in her quarters. She didn't want to walk into the base looking like this, more than likely Smokescreen, being the youngling that he was, would start chasing her around the base thinking that she was a new female recruit. He had never seen her as Oriona, being too young at the time to even be allowed near the fighting. She did not need to defend herself from one of her own mechs, youngling or not.

"Hmm, if I was Megatron, where would I hide someone's armor?" She asked herself as she stared around the room. "Duh, in a closet, the last place someone would ever look." She mumbled as she headed towards a door.

She opened the door and blinked in surprise. It was another room all together, not a closet like she had guess. She flicked on a set of lights and her mouth opened in shock. "He KEPT that thing?" She whispered as she saw their old energon tub sitting in the middle of the room. She glanced around.

There were no other doors leading into the room. But then again, there was a chance that there was another door since the lighting wasn't good enough to let her see the other walls. Or, possible, the doors were camouflaged to look like the walls. She sighed as she moved forward; one little bath wouldn't hurt. Would it?

She carefully started the heating system up, getting it to the temperature that she liked. She smiled as the energon began to bubble; it had been so long since she last had a dunk in an energon tub. She glanced around again and frowned. She quickly stripped off her armor until only her breast and pelvic plates were left. Then she stepped into the tub and let out a happy sigh.

The energon swirled around her, bubbles popping softly in her face as she moved around to her favourite spot. She sank into the energon until only her head was above it and sighed again. She loved this. She sat there and let all her problems and stresses wash away. The war was only a distant memory at the moment, her quarrels with Megatron a temporary glitch. She sat there and listened to the energon bubble, the jets distribute the heated energon around the tub, and her own even breathing.

She wasn't aware of anything else until a whistle sounded. She looked up and almost screamed. "Wow. And just who are you, baby?" Cyclonus asked as he stepped closer to the tub. "You know, Megatron wouldn't be too impressed with you being in his tub." He added. "However, a little, _persuading_, might make me forget that you were in here." He stated with a grin.

Optimus frowned. "Excuse me?" She asked, making sure to change the pitch of her voice. She knew that her antennas wouldn't give her away; there were plenty of femmes that had antennas so he would never guess that she was the Autobot leader.

Cyclonus grinned. "Oh, a few kisses, maybe a little interfacing. I mean, this tub is a great place to do all of that." He explained.

Optimus grimaced. "Get lost you disgusting excuse for a mech." She snapped.

Cyclonus smiled cruelly. "Oh, I don't think you're in any position to refuse." He stated as he heaved himself into the tub. "Because, incase you haven't noticed, it's only you and me in here." He growled as he grabbed her.

Optimus struggled against him. "Get off of me!" She screamed.

Cyclonus giggled. "Oh, I will…once I've had my fun." He replied as he grabbed her jaw and kissed her.

Optimus felt herself gag as she pushed against Cyclonus. She dug her fingers into a space on his back and gathered her feet up against his stomach. With whatever strength she had since the sedative was still in effect, she kicked Cyclonus away from her, and surprisingly over the side of the tub. A grunt of pain was all the proof she needed to know that he was hurt and away from her. However, at that precise moment, Megatron happened to walk into the room.

Optimus froze as she saw the infuriated look in optics. She took a deep breath and dipped herself under the energon. She could hear him yelling and the sound of someone screaming in pain. She didn't want to know what was happening so she remained underwater. There wasn't any real point to holding her breath, since she could breathe underwater in a way, but she had seen enough humans doing it to make it a habit.

She felt a hand grab the back of her neck and yank her out of the energon. She coughed a few times before she looked up into Megatron's worried optics. He turned off the tub and sat down on the edge of the tub before sitting her on his lap. He pulled her against his chest and stroked her back gently.

"Did he hurt you?" He asked quietly.

Optimus was about to say "yes, he kissed me and attempted to vandalize me", but instead she snorted. "I'm a soldier Megatron. I can handle myself." She snapped as she tried to pull away.

Megatron frowned. "Hmm." He huffed. "In that case, I should have let him invade you." He stated. As Optimus gave him a horrified look, he shrugged. "Well, you can handle yourself so I'm sure Cyclonus isn't that much trouble."

Optimus growled. "You despicable excuse for a mech." She growled. "You should be ashamed of yourself for saying that!"

Megatron smiled. He chuckled as he stood up and cradled her to his chest. "Oriona, you know I would never do that." He stated as he walked back into his quarters.

Optimus snorted as she chose that moment to wiggle. Megatron lost his grip on her and she hit the ground in a crouch. She leapt away from Megatron and took on her most stable battle stance. Megatron blinked in surprise before he shook his head.

"Oriona, please, would you just stop fighting me?" He asked. "You know that you love me, so why do you continue to deny me?"

Optimus snorted. "You know why." She snarled. She reached into her subspace and pulled her metal ball. "You are the reason that I deny you anything." She hissed as she took aim.

Megatron snorted. "Can't you let that go? I was cratered!" He snapped.

Optimus snarled. "No." She replied as she threw the ball. It flew through the air and connected squarely in the chest. It wasn't where she was aiming for, but Megatron was closer to her height than before.

He let out grunt of pain as he stumbled backwards. Optimus tried to dart past him but he recovered quicker than she had anticipated. He grabbed her and slammed her against the floor. She struggled underneath him as he somehow managed to bind her hands together in front of her. He stood up and pulled her to her feet. He tossed her roughly onto the bed and glared at her as he rubbed his chest.

"Stay put." He snapped as he turned around and reentered the other room. Within minutes, Megatron reentered with Optimus' "Oriona" armor. He walked over to her and started putting her armor back on. He pulled her to her feet again and pulled a long chain out of nowhere and connected it to her binds.

He exited the room, dragging her behind him. She stumbled as she tried to keep up with him. She couldn't keep up very well and was starting to get dragged behind him. Megatron entered his throne room and sat down in his chair. Optimus was dragged up beside the throne and forced to sit there, chained like some animal.

At that moment, Starscream came running in. His steps faltered when he saw Optimus chained and held in Megatron's hand. Megatron glared at his Second in Command. "What do you want?" He growled.

Starscream blinked several times before he shook his head. "We have managed to capture someone that should impress you." He stated.

Megatron looked slightly impressed. "Very well." He said.

Starscream nodded before he turned around and sprinted back out of the room. There were several shouts of anger before the doors slid open again. Demolisher and Starscream came striding in, a smaller mech dangling between them. Optimus felt her energon run cold as the mech lifted his head and locked optics with her. His blue optics widened in shock and his mouth opened. Optimus shook her head in shock and fear.

"Hot Shot." She whispered. "How?"

**Author's note: **Aww, poor Hot Shot! Now he's captured too! Man, Megatron really knows how to screw everything up! And the only reason that Optimus is tied up is because Megatron's temper got the better of him. And don't worry, Cyclonus got him aft kicked for touching Optimus. Megatron was not impressed to say the least. Optimus in the tub was fine, Cyclonus in the same room while she is bathing is not acceptable. Anyways, review and tell me what you think.


	8. I Raise My Hands And I Surrender Part 3

Chapter 7 I Raise My Hands And I Surrender Part 3

Chapter 7 I Raise My Hands And I Surrender Part 3

Optimus stared in horror as Hot Shot tried desperately to get out of Demolisher and Starscream's grip. He looked at her, a pleading look entering his optics as their optics locked. She tried to pull the chain that was held in Megatron's hand away from him. Her maternal instincts were screaming at her to get to Hot Shot and get him away from everything that was in the immediate area.

Megatron laughed above her. "Put our guest in one of the holding cells for now." He chuckled as he waved to his soldiers. "I will deal with him shortly."

"No." Optimus whispered as the two Decepticons dragged her son away.

Megatron chuckled again as he stood up. He looked down at her, a very cruel smile on his face before he tied the chain to the back of his throne. He turned and exited in the room, leaving Optimus behind to fight against her chains. She screamed in anger as she tugged at the chains. The narcotic that Megatron had used was still in effect and was hindering her ability to escape.

"No." She moaned as she tugged at the chain. "No, no, no, no!"

She gave the chain another pitiful tug before she collapsed against the chair. She felt tears run down her face. Why was Hot Shot here? It didn't make sense, unless they captured him and brought him back. But she knew Hot Shot; he wasn't one to let himself get caught unless he was injured and severely at that. She just didn't understand, what was he doing here?

"Oriona?" A screechy voice asked.

She spun around, as best she could, and glared at Starscream. "What do you want?" She demanded as she gave the chain an occasional tug.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, his head tilted and his orange optics full of curiosity. "I thought you were on Cybertron."

Optimus growled. She didn't want Starscream to know that she was with the Autobots as their leader; he didn't need that kind of information against her because if he found out, he would end up blabbing one way or another that she was Megatron's mate. Then she would lose the trust of all of the Autobots because only a very select few even knew about her and Megatron's past. "Guess you were wrong." She snapped.

Starscream frowned slightly. "Have…have you seen Wingdagger recently?" He asked.

Optimus stopped tugging at her chains and bit her lip. "No, not recently." She replied honestly.

Starscream's face fell. "Oh." He murmured. "I was hoping…maybe…you would have known if she was thinking about me."

Optimus looked over at him and sighed. "Starscream, you realize that you hurt her, right?" She asked.

Starscream's face changed quickly twisted with anger. "That is your _mate's_ fault!" He snarled. "If he hadn't started blaming everything on me, I wouldn't have become so infuriated when I returned to my quarters! You can blame Megatron for that!"

Optimus felt anger build in her circuits. "Don't you **dare** blame Megatron for your actions." She hissed, causing Starscream to back up in shock; she wasn't one to hiss at anyone. "Megatron wasn't the one who struck Wingdagger. Megatron wasn't the one who attack her while she was with spark. That is solely your fault."

Starscream recovered quickly. "You dare to speak to me like that?" He asked. "You are not a member of the Decepticon army so the status that you would have with Megatron as your mate doesn't affect anything."

Optimus glared at him, using her authoritive gaze without even realizing it. Only when Starscream's optics widened in shock did she do a double take on what her expression was. She quickly dropped her gaze, cursing herself for being so foolish.

"Since when did you have that glare?" Starscream asked.

"When you have a squadron under your leadership, you learn how to earn respect." She stated quickly.

"Oh." Starscream replied. He grinned. "Wonder what Hot Shot's problem was." He chuckled.

Optimus glanced up at him and bit back her snarl. "He looked like you might be able to help him." Starscream continued. "But I doubt it. Just because you have a new height advantage over most of the others, doesn't mean that you're any stronger."

Optimus inhaled deeply. She felt the rest of the narcotics drain out of her systems and grinned. She moved herself around a little to get a better position before she tensed herself up, ready for the move that would bring her freedom.

"Oh really?" She asked as she brought her wrists forward in preparation to break free. "You really are forgetful." She added. "I was able to take Megatron down in a fight long before this war began."

She let out a grunt as she yanked her arms backwards and snapped the back off of the throne. The chain fell off of the broken back of the chair and Optimus turned on the red Seeker. His optics were wide in shock and he had backed up slightly. Optimus grinned as she took a few steps forward before she whipped the chain around her head and lashed it out like a whip at Starscream. It smashed into his face and sent him flying in the wall with a slightly sickening thud.

She snorted as she flipped the chain up and back to her before she caught it in her hands. Just as she went to turn back to the door, it slid open and Demolisher charged in. He stood there blinking stupidly at her as she rounded on him, chain hanging dangerously in her hands. Demolisher shook his head once before he growled and charged at her.

Optimus dropped the chain quickly before she whipped it around and made it wrap around Demolisher's throat. She pulled the chain tight, earning a choked gag from the green Decepticon. She gave the chain another tug and the chain snapped off from around her wrists. Demolisher crashed to the ground as Cyclonus raced in. He looked from his downed friend to Optimus as she stood in a semi-crouch.

"Hey! What made you do that!?" He demanded.

Optimus let out a snort before she broke the restraints on her wrists. "Simple. I don't like feeling like some caged animal." She replied as she charged forward.

Cyclonus lunged at her, only to have her stop mid-stride and deliver a spin kick to his face. He let out a cry of pain as he was sent flying. She felt a pair of arms wrap around her torso and she let out an anger snarl as she twisted around in an attempt to get loose. She glanced behind her and felt blind fury build in her body.

"Calm down, Miss." Sideways commented.

"You." Optimus hissed lowly. She reached behind her and grabbed a hold of his horns. With an angry snarl she flipped herself overtop of the motorcycle mech, snapping the horns off in the process.

She delivered a powerful kick to his back, sending him forward with a bellow of pain. She stood up, only to have to jump out of the way as Starscream lunged at her with sword. She dodged the best she could, her face twisted in panic. She brought up the broken horns in a cross in front of her face, one final hope of keeping herself protected. A slicing noise reached her audio receptors, and for one moment she thought it was her head. She looked down and saw that the two horns had been sharpened, probably by accident, into a pair of swords. She grinned slightly; she wasn't an expert with swords, but only an idiot wouldn't use it to their advantage.

She lashed out against Starscream, parrying his attacks, and used the horns as her own personal swords. She suddenly found herself pressed against Megatron's throne and losing ground fast to Starscream and Sideways, who was back on his feet. She leapt backwards onto the chair, managing to somehow land on the broken back of the chair. She stood up slightly, fighting for her balance before she launched one of her make-shift swords at Sideways, which struck him in the stomach, which was a nasty twist of irony. Starscream gave him an annoyed look as the motorcycle fell back with a cry of pain. He looked up at Optimus just in time to dodge a possibly fatal swipe from her sword.

"What is going on in here?!" Megatron roared as he stormed in.

He looked in shock at his downed men, each moaning in pain. Starscream was the only one still standing and he had Optimus currently pinned on top of his broken throne. He was surprised by the fact that Optimus was even free from her chains and restraints. He let out a snort.

"You can't even capture a femme?" He demanded.

"ONLY a femme?" Optimus demanded. She reached into her subspace and pulled out one of her metal, compact throwing-balls. "You think that I am a weakling?" She snarled.

Megatron chuckled. "You are a femme and therefore weaker than a mech." He stated plainly.

Optimus snorted. "You are such an idiot." She spat. "Have you forgotten already?" She asked as she tossed her favourite weapon up and down. "Need I remind you how much damage this little thing can do?" She demanded.

Megatron's face paled slightly. His hands crossed slightly in front of his crouch; during training back at the Academy, Optimus had a habit of throwing her favourite weapon right where it would hurt a mech. Megatron never did like that too much since it always seemed to be he that was the target. Optimus grinned before a hand wrapped around her forearm and yanked her off of the chair. She yelped as she stumbled, only to find _two_ swords criss-crossing in front of her throat. She realized in a sudden wave of horror, that one of the two swords was the Starsabre. Somehow, the Decepticons had gotten a hold of one of the most powerful Minicon weapons.

"Well done, Starscream." Megatron grumbled. "You managed to capture a femme."

Optimus heard Starscream growl slightly behind her. She still had one of her make-shift swords in her hand, but she didn't want to hurt and humiliate Starscream any more than he already was. As Megatron walked towards them, she let out a slight whimper, trying to convey to her capture that she didn't want to be anywhere near the Decepticon leader. Starscream obviously didn't get the hint.

"What do you want done with her, sir?" He asked.

Megatron glared down at Optimus, a grin caressing his features and making Optimus' spark speed up. "Deliver her to my quarters. I'll deal with her later." He replied. He turned away from them and faced the still downed Decepticons. "You useless imbeciles! Get on your feet and start cleaning this place up!" He bellowed.

Starscream quickly left the throne room, pushing Optimus in front of him which caused her to drop the make-shift sword. He was quiet for awhile, but when he sighed softly, Optimus knew that she was about to be bombarded with questions. "So, what brings you here anyways?" He asked.

"Megatron captured me." Optimus replied honestly.

Starscream let out a quick snort. "Captured? But how? You were on Cybertron!"

Optimus laughed hollowly. "You think that would stop Megatron? I'm surprised you are even holding the Starsabre; you know that once Megatron sets his sights on something, he goes after it until it is his." She admitted.

Starscream sighed softly. "Good point." He muttered. "So…Wingdagger hasn't said anything about me?" He asked.

Optimus bit her lip again. "Starscream…she was…really hurt when she came to the Autobots, both mentally and physically. She felt like you had ripped out her spark when you started abusing her." She said softly.

She felt Starscream wince. "I…didn't mean to do that to her. I was just so angry…and…I know I shouldn't have taken my anger out on her…especially not when she was with spark. I always thought that she would fight back, teach me a lesson, but she never did." He whispered. "I remember seeing the hurt look in her optics, but I never stopped…I should have. Maybe then…maybe then I'd still have her…and our sparkling."

Optimus smiled to herself. "Your sparkling is just fine. Never leaves Wingdagger's side. Their partners now." She replied. "And Starscream? Just so you know, Wingdagger just wants this war to be over so that she can track you down, beat the slag out of you, and ask what the frag you were on." She added.

She could see Starscream's smile in her mind, see his optics brighten at that statement; he really did love Wingdagger. "She still wants me?" He breathed.

Optimus nodded as they reached Megatron's quarters. "She always will." She replied before Starscream shoved her into the room as gently as he could. She turned around and saw Starscream's smiling face before the door slid closed.

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Optimus sighed as she lay on the recharge bed. It had to have been at least 10 hours since she was thrown into Megatron's quarters. She had enough time to take another bath, search the quarters inside and out for her proper armor (to no luck), and even had enough time to say the whole Autobot Code of Conduct, all 6500 rules…twice. She was bored out of her cranial unit to say the least.

Just as she let out a sigh, the door to the room slid open. She leapt to her feet, ready to attack. Megatron grinned as the door slid closed behind him.

"You're oddly jumpy." He chuckled as he walked closer to her.

Optimus backed away from him, careful not to walk to close to the corners of the room or near the bed; she didn't want to get trapped. Megatron, however, had other ideas. He snatched her up quickly, leaving any chance of escape as a fleeting memory. He carried her to the recharge bed and dropped her onto it before he swung himself onto the bed to hover overtop of her. Optimus growled as his hand started caressing her antennas.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" She screamed as she tried to twist away from him.

Megatron grinned as he stood up and walked over to the door. For one brief moment Optimus honestly thought that he was going to leave, but it quickly turned to panic as she watched him activate a control panel beside the door; the sound-proofing system. She began to breathe heavily as she backed up against the wall beside the bed. Megatron walked over to her and pulled her back down onto the bed.

"Oriona." He murmured as he ran his hand along her face. "You are so beautiful."

Optimus growled angrily before she was cut short by his lips closing over hers. She felt tears spring to her optics as Megatron deepened the kiss and his hands slid underneath her to the small of her back. She tried to break the kiss, but found that she was lacking the willpower to; she _wanted_ to keep kissing him. Megatron pulled away, earning an involuntary moan of displeasure from Optimus. Megatron grinned as he lifted one hand and unclipped the latch on her pelvic plate.

Optimus' optics widened in fear. "No!" She whimpered as she tried to wiggle away from Megatron.

Megatron held her still from a combination of his body weight and his strength. "You know you want this, my love." He whispered.

Optimus wiggled desperately. "No, no I don't." She whimpered.

Megatron's lips met hers and she felt suddenly relaxed. She stopped struggling against her larger mate and just hung there as he kissed her softly.

"There." Megatron whispered. He smiled down at her as he rubbed his head against hers. "See? I know that you want this."

Optimus looked away. "Megatron…you know I wouldn't, _couldn't_ deny you anything." She whispered. She knew that was true. The only things she could deny him were herself, Universal domination, and the knowledge of the sparking of his sons, and even that was difficult.

Megatron smiled as he dimmed his optics. "You do deny me what is mine." He whispered softly as he kissed her again. "But you know that I would only hurt you if I just took you. You are much smaller than I am."

Optimus sighed softly. "Oriona, look at me." Megatron whispered.

Optimus didn't look at him; she wasn't Oriona, she was Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots. "Oriona." Megatron said a little sterner. "Look at me."

Optimus found herself looking up at him before she even realized it. Megatron smiled as he cupped her face in his hand. "I never want to hurt you." He whispered as he brought his face close to hers. "Please, don't make me do anything that will get you hurt."

Optimus bit her lip nervously. "Megatron." She whispered. "You know I can't promise you that."

Megatron chuckled as he removed his own pelvic plate. "At least let me show you how much I love you." He murmured. He looked down at her with a smile as he unclasped her breast plates.

Optimus took a deep breath as Megatron hovered above her. "I…I'm yours." She whispered.

Megatron let out a roar of triumph before he claimed her. Optimus couldn't help but gasp as ecstasy raced through her systems. She melted into Megatron's embrace and went along with him.

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Optimus sighed in contentment as she lay curled against Megatron's chest as he rested. She had forgotten how much fun Megatron was and how much he cared about her. Even though the thought about what they did made her blush up like a school femme, she still couldn't get the ecstasy out of her systems. As she was about to snuggled deeper into Megatron's embrace, a sudden tug at her spark made her blink in surprise. She felt the tug again, and, figuring that it was Megatron, she allowed the owner entry.

'Mom!' Hot Shot shouted through their bond.

Optimus felt her circuits freeze. 'Hot Shot.'

'Why are you here?' He asked softly.

'I was kidnapped.' She replied. 'What about you? Why are you here?'

'I was tricked into coming here by Sideways. He was a Decepticon all along.' Hot Shot growled.

Optimus bit back an angry snarl. 'I'll get us out of here. Don't worry.' She stated.

'Just do it soon please. Megatron is planning on killing me…he said so himself when he was here.' Hot Shot whispered.

Optimus bit back another snarl. 'Don't worry.' She said before she broke the connection. She glared at Megatron as he recharged. She pulled herself out of his embrace and quickly reattached her removed armor.

Megatron grunted behind her, turning over in his sleep. She was so tempted to shoot him that it was taking everything in her power to just turn away and exit the room. She headed down the hallway, hoping not to run into anyone and get to Hot Shot as quickly as possible. Once she had him safely away from the holding cells, she would then worry about getting out of this death trap.

"Paxy." A gruff voice stated behind her.

Optimus jumped and whipped around, her gun out of her subspace and pointed…into Scavenger's face. She sighed in relief. "Scavenger." She whispered.

"I was wondering when you were going to plan your escape." Scavenger chuckled.

"I thought that you would be in recharge right now." She joked, a knowing grin spreading across her face.

"We'll discus my snoring later." Scavenger snorted. "Let's focus on getting you and Hot Shot out of here." He stated.

Optimus stabbed a finger into his chest. "You're coming too. That's enough undercover work." She stated.

Scavenger shook his head. "Whatever you say Prime, whatever you say."

Optimus turned around and continued down the hallway. As she turned the corner, she came face to face with Demolisher.

"How did you get out here!?" He demanded.

"Megatron has asked me to escort her to the holding cells." Scavenger stated.

"Oh." Demolisher grumbled as he backed away to let the two Autobots through.

Optimus looked back at her old teacher and grinned. "Good thinking." She laughed.

"Just focus in front of you." Scavenger stated. "If Demolisher is up and about, chances are high that so are the other Decepticons."

"I can handle myself." Optimus stated as they turned another corner.

Scavenger chuckled. "I know. I saw the number you did on Sideways. Nice tactic with the horns." He commented.

Optimus grinned as the entered the section of the base that held the holding cells. She glanced around and shivered as she saw something green dripping from the ceiling. "I don't want to even know what that is." She muttered as she walked along the stretch of hallway.

"I wouldn't tell you anyways." Scavenger replied. "Trust me, you don't want to know."

Optimus nodded once again before she continued to walk. "Hot Shot." She called out.

"Optimus?" A broken, scratchy voice asked.

Optimus rushed to the last cell and let out a tortured cry. Hot Shot's armor was busted to the point where he was almost unrecognizable. Whatever the green liquid was, it covered his once yellow armor. Only his blue optics were recognizable, but even they were busted. Optimus let out a growl as she looked at the access pad. She didn't waste a moment in punching it, sending sparks flying everywhere. The rusted bars on the holding cell slid up into the ceiling, allowing Optimus to rush in and pick Hot Shot up.

"You ok?" She asked.

"I think I'll live." Hot Shot laughed weakly. He shuddered as his whole frame sparked. "Megatron is deadly with his fists."

"_Don't I know that."_ Optimus thought to herself. "Just hang on. We're going to get out of this." She stated softly as she draped his arm over her shoulder.

As she turned and walked out of the holding cell, Scavenger made a quick signal; hide. She dragged Hot Shot to a shadow and told him to offline his optics. As soon as his optics were black, she followed suit.

"What are you doing down here?" Starscream's voice asked.

"I was checking on our prisoner, but it would appear that Megatron has decided to start his torture sooner than I thought." Scavenger replied.

"What? I just met Megatron in the hallway and he was seething mad." Starscream squawked.

She could almost picture Scavenger twisting his face around to match that of horror. "That would mean that the Autobot has escaped." He stated.

She heard Starscream cursing. "You look around down here; I'll go back and check the corridors. He couldn't have gotten far, not with his injuries." Starscream stated. The sound of retreating footsteps were all the indication Optimus needed to power up her optics.

She stood up quickly and looked up at Scavenger. "Are you coming?" She asked.

"I'll come when everything has calmed down." Scavenger replied. "The warp room is just up the hallway once you turn left. You should be able to access it and get back to the Autobot base." He added as he jerked his head towards the exit. "Good luck."

Optimus nodded before she twisted Hot Shot around so he was riding piggy-back. She took off at a run, desperate to get away before any of the other Decepticons turned up. She made it to the hallway and to the warp room without any incident, but the moment that she was about to warp away, the whole Decepticon army burst into the room. Optimus cursed just as both she and Hot Shot warp away.

The moment that Optimus felt the ground underneath her feet, she took off running. She had a few miles to go before she reached the base and she prayed that Red Alert would be working the night shift. As a laser flew by her head, she sped up, trying desperately to get a hold of the base.

"Red Alert to Optimus." Red Alert's voice carried over her com-link. "Come in Optimus."

"Red Alert." She sighed in relief. "I'm going to need some assistance. Hot Shot is injured…and well, I'm missing _my_ armor so I don't have any good weapons on me right now that I don't need my hands for." She added as she skidded around and outcrop of rock to avoid getting hit.

"Got it. Smokescreen and I will be right there." Red Alert replied before the line went dead.

Optimus gently placed Hot Shot on the ground and pulled out her gun. She peeked overtop of the rocks and fired off a few rounds before she ducked back down. The sound of sirens almost made her laugh.

"Retreat!" Megatron ordered before the sounds of the Decepticons warping away met her audio receptor.

Optimus let out a sigh of relief as Red Alert came to a stop in front of her. Smokescreen transformed and stared at her in shock.

"Um, hello there Miss." He said with a smile. "Rather dangerous out here for one femme, don't you think?" He asked.

"No more trouble than I'm use to, Smokescreen." She replied, causing Smokescreen's mouth to fall open in shock.

"O-o-optimus?" He asked.

Optimus nodded. "Like the armor?" She asked sarcastically.

"Um."

"Let's just get back to the base." Red Alert chuckled as their warp sequence went off.

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Optimus let out a sigh of contentment. "You have no idea how good it is to be back in my own armor." She laughed as she put her face mask on.

"See? Ratchet told you that having spare armor was a good idea." Red Alert stated.

Optimus nodded as she looked down at Hot Shot. He was still in the midst of recovering. "Is he going to be alright?" She asked.

"He'll be in recharge for a few more hours. I'll come get you when he's awake." Red Alert replied.

Optimus nodded before she left the med bay. She let out a long sigh as she headed to her quarters. When she entered the room, Sparkplug launched himself at her and hugged her chest tightly. She laughed as she sat down on the bed. "Did you miss me?" She asked.

Sparkplug let out a series of beeps and earned a laugh from Optimus. "I missed you too, my friend." She replied as she lay down on the bed.

Sparkplug curled up on her chest, a happy smile pressed to his face. "You're just like a sparkling." Optimus commented. Sparkplug let out another series of beeps before they both dropped off into a much needed recharge.

**Author's note:** Yah! Optimus is back with the Autobots. Confused out of her mind, but back home. Megatron is determined to have her and Optimus doesn't know what she wants anymore. Ah, gotta love life. Anyways, you can bet that Scavenger turns up soon. And, in case you didn't figure it out already, the story has jumped past the part where they learn about the Starsabre and Scavenger coming to Earth. Yah, figured that would make more sense as to why Hot Shot was there. And the fight scene was to show that Optimus can kick butt if she wants to…and come up with some ingenious method in doing so! So anyways, please leave a nice review for me and I hope you enjoyed this!


	9. Trust Issues

Chapter 8 Trust Issues

Chapter 8 Trust Issues

"Is he going to be ok?"

"Red Alert said that his body is still trying to reboot itself. His damages were worse than he first assumed."

"How long has he been out for?"

"Five days; ever since we got back."

"That long?!"

"Mhmm."

"Paxy. Paxy, he'll wake up. Ssh, don't cry."

Hot Shot groaned. The voices were so close and so sad. Especially the female voice. She sounded so scared, and he wasn't entirely sure why. The voice, the male one, it sounded oddly familiar. Yet, he couldn't find the image of the mech anywhere in his memory banks. The only option left was to online his optics and see for himself.

He onlined his optics and groaned as he pushed himself into a sitting position. He looked up and almost snarled in rage. Optimus was crying into a green and purple mech's chest as he rubbed her back reassuringly. Optimus looked over at him and he saw her golden optics flash with happiness around the tears. She choked on her tears as she rushed forward.

"Hot Shot!" She murmured as she hugged him. "I didn't think you were going to wake up.

He glared at the mech who was still standing nearby, a soft smile on his face. "What is HE doing here?!" Hot Shot snarled as he moved to get to his feet.

"Calm down Hot Shot; he's on our side." Optimus reassured him.

"What?" He demanded. "Moth…Optimus," he quickly corrected himself, "he's a fragging Decepticon mercenary!"

The mech sighed. "Wow, someone definitely listens to all the gossip floating around." He stated.

"Hot Shot, Scavenger became a Decepticon mercenary on my orders." Optimus stated.

Hot Shot looked at his mother in shock. "What? Why?" He gawked.

Optimus sighed. "It wasn't exactly _all_ on my orders." She added. "Sentinel ordered him to long before I took over."

"WHY?!" Hot Shot practically shouted at her. He tried to sit up, only to have Optimus place her hand on her shoulder and pushed him back down onto the berth.

"It was the only way that we could spy on the Decepticons without them getting wise to the spies." She explained.

"For some reason, none of the Decepticons even thought twice about my loyalties. They honestly thought that I was loyal to whoever could give me more credits." Scavenger scoffed.

"So, you dropped your lie to come back to the Autobots?" Hot Shot sneered.

"Yup." Scavenger replied.

"Hot Shot, Scavenger is my old teacher. I expect you to respect him. After all, he is going to be training you now." Optimus stated.

Hot Shot's jaw hit the ground in horror. "WHAT?!"

Optimus shook her head as she chuckled. "Trust me Hot Shot, Scavenger knows what he's doing." She stated. "He taught me just about everything I know."

Hot Shot gawked at her for several moments before he leapt off the berth and snarled. "You want a…a…a…Decepticon washout to train me?!" He roared.

Optimus' optics darkened. "Hot Shot." She warned.

"Let him be Paxy; he hasn't changed since he was a sparkling." Scavenger commented. "Just as stubborn as ever."

Hot Shot looked at him in shock. "How do you know what I was like when I was a sparkling?" He demanded.

"I was around when you were younger." Scavenger replied. "Now I'll give you a day to recuperate before we commence with your training." The green and purple mech added before he turned and left the med bay.

"How can you trust him?!" Hot Shot demanded once the older mech was gone.

"Hot Shot, I've known him since I was a youngling. There isn't anyone I trust more." She replied.

Hot Shot scowled. "Please tell me that he isn't my dad." He snorted.

Optimus' optics widened in horror. "Hot Shot! How could you even say that?!" She demanded. Hot Shot could hear the sudden childish tone enter his mother's voice. "Eww, eww, eww, eww!" She squeaked as she shook her head.

Hot Shot couldn't stop the laughter that was spilling out of him. He had never heard her sound like that since she became the Prime. He grinned as he looked up at his mother.

"Wow, don't think I've heard you talk like since you were Oriona." He commented.

Optimus shook her head before she gave him a small shove. "Come on Hot Shot; it's high time you got out of the med bay." She stated as she pushed him out of the med bay and into the hallway.

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Hot Shot stood in front of Scavenger and frowned. "So, what am I suppose to do?" He asked.

The older mech grunted. "We'll take it easy on you today, seen as how you just woke up yesterday." He replied. He walked over to a bench and leant against it. "Show me your best punch." He stated.

Hot Shot blinked before he lunged at the older mech. As he got closer, he pulled his fist back and threw it forward, only to have Scavenger catch it easily. Using Hot Shot's momentum against him, he flipped the smaller mech onto the table behind him. Hot Shot grunted in pain as he sat up.

"First off, I didn't mean that you attacked me. If I wanted you to do that, I would have remained where I was." Scavenger stated. "Second, your form is rather sloppy. When you go to punch someone, don't fully extend your arm…and make sure to keep both feet on the ground at all times, unless you're doing a "ground pound", but you'd need both hands for that." He finished.

Hot Shot groaned as he sat up. "What do you mean my form is sloppy?" He demanded.

Scavenger pulled the smaller mech to his feet. "I mean that your free arm shouldn't be flying out beside you when you go to go punch your opponent." Scavenger replied. He took a few steps back and motioned him to remain still. Then he widened his stance, and punched the air in front of him. "Keep your punches within the range of a slightly bent arm." He stated.

Hot Shot widened his stance and started throwing punches similar to what Scavenger showed him. Scavenger nodded. "Good. Not bad for a beginner." He commented. Hot Shot glared at the older mech. "Now, show me your best moves and I'll see what I can correct." He added.

Hot Shot grunted before he started punching the air as Scavenger walked over to the table. As he swung his foot around in a spin kick, he heard a loud snore. He turned around, half-expecting Scavenger to be sitting on the table, pretending to be bored. His jaw hit the ground when he saw that Scavenger was lying down on the table sleeping.

"That's rude." Hot Shot growled before he stormed out of the training room.

Optimus looked up from her energon as Hot Shot stormed into the mess hall. "Aren't you supposed to be in training?" She asked as Hot Shot dropped down beside her, her optic ridge lifted.

"That _teacher_," Hot Shot snarled, "is too busy with his nap to bother teaching me anything!"

Optimus let out a soft snort of laughter. When Hot Shot looked at her in shock, she shook her head while she laughed. "That's Scavenger for you." She giggled. "You don't know how many times he got his head cuffed from Landmine for falling asleep during class."

Hot Shot groaned. "Great! Just great! I was expecting you to be angry at that mech, but instead you're laughing because he did it when you were under his wing!" He grumbled.

Optimus sighed slightly. "Give him a chance Hot Shot." She stated softly. "He can teach you how to fight. Then, maybe you can stand up to Megatron in a fight." She added.

Hot Shot looked up at her in surprise. "He could teach me how to beat Megatron?" He asked.

"Well, certainly keep up with him." Optimus admitted. "Megatron isn't the easiest mech to take out Hot Shot. Not like that." She added darkly when she caught sight of his smirk. "Honestly! Just because it's male and taller than I am does not mean I pursue them!" She stated in exasperation.

"Mom, seriously, you need to learn how to take a joke." Hot Shot commented.

"I don't find that funny." She replied darkly.

Hot Shot chuckled. "But seriously, he could teach me how to defeat Megatron?" He asked.

"Maybe not teach you how to." Optimus replied. "Megatron is a difficult opponent; the most Scavenger might be able to do is show you how to use that giant aft's weight against him."

Hot Shot frowned before he smiled. "Well, sooner or later I could beat him." He replied.

Optimus laughed, a little forcefully, at his comment. "Maybe, maybe," she replied.

**Author's Note:** Hot Shot is awake…and Scavenger is asleep. Sorry I love the fact that he sleeps while Hot Shot is practicing. Anyways, short I know, but maybe I can figure out where to go from here. Please leave me a nice review please!


	10. Trying To Understand

Chapter 9 Trying To Understand

Chapter 9 Trying To Understand

Megatron growled as he pulled back from another attempt at contacting Optimus via their bond. Not only had he been rebuffed but he had gotten a rude "go to the Pit" from the femme. He never should have let Scavenger leave; that old fool was bringing Optimus a new wave of confidence and he was loosing her again. He thought for sure that she had lost some of her resolve after their last…embrace, but it would appear that he was wrong.

Hot Shot was another problem. That little brat seemed to pull Optimus away from him every time he turned around. In the middle of a fight, he was knocked over by that little yellow menace. It was almost as if the youngling knew his leader was in danger.

His fists clenched as he ground his dental plates together. That little aft! He must be after Optimus' affection! There was no other explanation for the amount of times he had turned up while the two of them had been fighting. Growling, he reached out over their bond and forced his way through Optimus' barriers around her spark.

'You glitch!' He snarled. 'You fragging, mech-chasing, youngling seducing glitch!'

'What?!' Optimus shrieked, confusion pouring through their bond.

'Don't play dumb!' He snarled. 'I know that you're twisting Hot Shot into your personal new mech!'

'What are you talking about?!' She demanded.

'Hot Shot! You're grooming him to be your mate!' He hissed.

Optimus was silent for a moment before out right anger roared through their bond. 'What the slag gave you that idea?!' She demanded.

Megatron growled. 'Why else would he turn up while we are fighting?' He sneered.

'I have a fragging com-link!' She stated coldly.

'Then why don't the other Autobots turn up?' He growled.

'Because your men have them occupied,'

'Well….'

'Get lost.' Optimus snapped as she pushed him away.

Megatron returned to his reality and frowned. He stood up out of his throne and headed to his quarters. How had he been wrong? He usually could read Optimus like a book when it came to other mechs. Hadn't he been the one to know back in the Academy when one of the other mechs were bothering her or making her feel uncomfortable? She didn't even need to say anything and he would already know who was bothering her. So how could he not know what was going on now?

As the door to his room slid open, Starscream came racing over to him. He was panting and he looked slightly fearful. "Megatron sir, we have located another Minicon, but the alarm seems to be broken." He stated.

Megatron growled. "Then tell Demolisher to stay behind and fix it." He stated, causing Starscream to flinch slightly. "The rest of us are going to retrieve that Minicon." He added as he turned around and headed towards the warp room.

When he arrived, he quickly typed in the co-ordinates that Starscream had given him and waited for the rest of his subordinates to arrive. Cyclonus turned up a moment later, closely followed by a somewhat bored looking Sideways, and Starscream came trotting in last. Megatron snorted once.

"Retrieve the Minicon." He ordered before he turned and walked through the warp gate.

When Megatron arrived on Earth, he was hit with a sudden wave of cold. He shivered once before he grumbled and started trudging through the snow. He had a feeling that the Minicon was a long ways off, and his mind began to wonder elsewhere. Soon he found himself digging through memories of the old days at the Academy.

**Flashback**

"Come on Megatron!" Starscream laughed as he walked beside him, his hands folded behind his head in that cocky way of his. "This party is going to rock!"

Megatron snorted. "Sure, for you maybe." He stated coldly. "You don't have a pair of horns sticking out of the side of your head."

Starscream gave him the "shut-up-about-your-fragging-horns" look. "Megatron, look, no one cares about your fragging horns! Half the femmes in the school find you smoking hot!" He retorted with a shake of his head.

Megatron chuckled coldly. "Sure. Are we talking about the femmes from the aristocratic families or the ones from our section of Cybertron?" He asked.

Starscream laughed. "Both!" He replied as he punched his larger friend's shoulder. "Come on! That one, what's her name, Firestar?" He asked.

Megatron glared at his red, white, and black friend. "That femme is a pain in the aft! Honestly! I do not enjoy being stalked!" He replied coldly.

Starscream laughed before he opened the door to the auditorium and ushered his larger friend in. "Come on! This is going to be good." He stated.

The minute they stepped in, blaring music rage against their audio receptors. Megatron winced slightly while Starscream's optic started twitching. A few giggling femme, obviously cratered, walked over to them and started hanging off of their arms. Megatron gave Starscream an annoyed look and walked away from the femmes. They let out sorrowful noises, but Megatron ignored them as he walked over to one of the tables and flopped down. Starscream appeared at his side a moment later, fighting off the last of the cratered femmes and collapsing in the chair next to him. He grinned at him.

"Fun?" Starscream laughed.

Megatron snorted before he turned away.

"Well hello." A calm voice stated.

Megatron looked up into a set of faux orange optics and blinked in surprise. The femme had a fairly young face, from what he could see around the black paint that she had adorned herself in. She was oddly curvy with a decent sized chassis and she was rather short. Her face was covered in coolant, showing that she had been up dancing to the fast beat music mere moments before. He found himself smiling at the femme.

"Hello." He replied as he stared into her fake coloured optics, not wanting to seem rude by raking him optics over her body.

She smiled softly. "Go ahead and stare; I'm use to it." She stated.

Megatron frowned. "That would be rude if I just stared at your body rather than talk to your face." He replied.

The black painted femme smiled again. "You…you're really polite." She commented.

Starscream cleared his throat as he stood up and walked away, gently nudging Megatron's head as he walked by. Megatron glared after his friend; he knew how much he hated being around femmes alone. The femme sat down beside him and fanned her face slightly. She bit her lip component nervously before she looked up at him.

"You…you're… a lot nicer than most of the mechs here." She commented.

Megatron grunted in response, not really wanting to be left alone with this femme. He was racking his CPU trying to figure out who she was. He couldn't find a picture of a black femme with orange optics anywhere, not even in the older years. He glanced at her and saw that she was twisting her hands around in her lap. He was slightly confused; she appeared to be one of the aristocrat's daughters who were all about shaking their aft in a mech's face.

"Are you ok?" He asked.

The femme looked up at him and nodded quickly. "Yah! Why wouldn't I be?" She squeaked.

Megatron smiled softly. "Your fidgeting would state otherwise." He replied. He didn't know what compelled him to do it, but he found himself reaching over and grasping the femme's hand gently in his. "Are you sure you're alright?"

The femme looked up at him and he saw tears leaking down her face. "I'm sorry." She whispered, suddenly getting to her feet. "I shouldn't have done this." She turned and bolted for the doors, dodging the arms of cratered mechs as she went.

Megatron sat there stunned for a moment before he stood up and followed the femme. Leaving her alone right now with all of the disoriented mechs walking around would not be a good idea. When he stepped outside, the cool, crisp night air greeted him. He smiled until he heard the tell-tale sounds of a femme sobbing. He turned and saw the black femme sitting with her back to the wall of the Academy and her knees drawn up to her chest. Her arms were covering her face as it rested on her knees and she cried. He walked over to her and sat down next to her before he reached over and gently touched her arm. She started and snapped her head up to stare at him.

Blue streaks of optical fluid were racing down her face, smearing her black paint. She looked up at him and shook her head. She closed her optic shutters and started to cry again. Megatron wrapped his arm around her shoulder and gave her a reassuring hug.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked.

"I shouldn't have done that." She whimpered.

"Done what?" Megatron asked.

She looked up at him and shook her head. "The only reason I went and talked to you was because my older brother dared me to!" She sobbed.

Megatron fought against a wince and sighed. "Somehow I'm not surprised." He replied as he pulled his arm back.

The femme reached over and grabbed his arm. "Please! Don't be offended!" She begged. "I wanted to talk to you! Really I did! Several times actually, but I'm too scared to." She tried to explain.

Megatron turned his red optics on the femme and growl, causing her to recoil in fear. "So only if you are _dared_ to you would talk to me?" He demanded.

The femme shook her head. "No! Only…with a disguise on." She murmured.

Suddenly it all clicked into place. He slammed his hand into his forehead and caused the femme to yelp in surprise. "Oriona Pax." He groaned.

"How…how did you know?" The femme demanded in a whisper.

Megatron looked over at the femme and smiled softly. "I've seen you staring at me during class." He replied.

The femme cursed silently before he wrapped his arm around her again. She looked up at him nervously before he pulled her close to him. He smiled before he leant in close.

"Remember what I told you so long ago?" He asked.

"Never let a mech dictate what I will allow to happen to me." She replied softly.

Megatron nodded. He had given that advice to her when she had tried to follow him and Starscream home many thousands of years ago. He had pulled her close and she had allowed him to almost kiss her before he had pulled back and given her those words of advice.

"So you can stop me at any time." He replied.

Oriona bit her lip before she looked up at him and smiled softly before she slammed her lips overtop of his. His optics widened momentarily in shock before he smiled into her lips and kissed her back. He pulled her even closer to him, smearing the still wet paint all over him. They both pulled away laughing as they started wiping the black paint all over each other. They had been inseparable ever since that fateful night.

**End Flashback**

"Megatron!" Optimus' voice rang out, snapping him from his thoughts. He grinned to himself as he looked up.

His mate was standing up ahead of him, her yellow optics narrowed and her wrist cannons pointed at him. He smiled when he saw that she was all alone. He strolled forward casually, almost as if they were meeting on a street rather than knee deep in snow and on opposite sides of the war. He stopped in front of her with her wrist cannons pressed to his chest.

"Hello, Oriona." He purred.

Optimus hissed angrily. "It's Optimus you glitchy idiot!" She snapped.

Megatron chuckled before he reached out and stroked her face. "Go ahead and call Hot Shot." He laughed. "I'm looking forward to showing him as to who owns this little femme."

Optimus glared up at him, not realizing that she was leaning into his hand. "Stay away from Hot Shot." She growled as he stroked her cheek.

Megatron grinned. "So, you do love him." He growled.

Optimus growled in return. "Leave him alone Megatron. Unless you want my size 50 metal boot stuck up your aft." She snarled.

Megatron growled as he used his other hand to place with her antennas. "I wouldn't mind that at all." He purred seductively.

Optimus hissed angrily before she stepped away from him. "You slag-tard!" She growled.

Megatron laughed as he took another step towards her. Just before he could tackle his mate into the snow and start a make-out session with her, his com-link went off.

"Megatron sir!" Cyclonus laughed hysterically. "We found the Minicon!"

Megatron grinned as Optimus' optics filled with horror. "Good. Head back to base." He replied before he turned to his mate. "I'll see you soon, my beloved Oriona." He purred before he wrapped back to the Decepticon base.

Optimus glared at the spot where her mate had been mere moments before. "Frag it Megatron." She growled. "I hate you…but I love you at the same time."

**Author's Note:** Finally! Another chapter done! Sorry for the wait people! School work finally caught up with me. Anyways, at the beginning of the chapter, Megatron was basically calling Optimus a slut. Guy has serious anger issues, but what do you expect? And the way he acted in the flashback should be expected. He was a kid; he isn't going to be super evil right off the bat. A little bit of a jerk, but he liked to treat the femmes right. So ya, hope you enjoyed it. Please leave me a nice review! Thanks!


	11. Inconvientent Discovery

Chapter 11: Inconvenient Discovery

Hot Shot just didn't get it. Ever since they lost the Minicon in the Himalayas, Optimus had been avoiding him. She wouldn't even look at him, never said "hello" or "good morning", and it hurt. He didn't understand; was she angry with him because Cyclonus got to the Minicon panel before he did? He couldn't even contact her with his spark; she wouldn't allow him access and that stung even more.

Hot Shot sighed as he sat at the table in the rec room. Nothing was adding up and he didn't know if he should force Optimus to talk to him or not. He didn't want to seem rude; she was still his commanding officer, even if she was his mother. A hand came down on his shoulder and he jumped from the unexpected touch.

"You ok, Hot Shot?" Scavenger asked.

Hot Shot looked back at his mentor and sighed. "No."

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked as he sat down in the chair next to him.

Hot Shot sighed. "Optimus keeps avoiding me." He murmured as he stared down at the table in front of him. A cube of untouched energon sat in front of him from almost an hour beforehand when he had tried to comfort himself.

Scavenger frowned. "Are you sure?" He asked. "That doesn't sound like her at all."

Hot Shot sighed. "She keeps avoiding me, she won't stay in the same room as me, and she won't even make optic contact with me!" He stated angrily. "I didn't mean to lose the Minicon! Cyclonus flew up to that cliff ledge; I had to climb up and there weren't a lot of hand holds."

Scavenger gripped his shoulder tightly and gave him a small shake. "I don't think that Optimus would avoid you for that reason." He stated sternly. "There has to be a different reason."

Hot Shot's frown deepened. "What else could it be?" He asked as he looked up at his mentor.

Scavenger chuckled. "Why don't you go ask her?" He replied. "She's in the control room." He added as he stood up. "Go see what the problem is; you don't want this to cause you two to rub against each other all the time over a simple misunderstanding."

Hot Shot frowned again as he stood up. He nodded to Scavenger before he left the rec room and headed to the control room, trying to figure out what he was going to say. He finally decided on being as blunt as possible and to avoid talking himself into circles where Optimus wouldn't be able to give him a straight answer. He entered the control room and froze in shock.

Optimus was leaning over the keyboard at the main computer console, her shoulders shaking. Quick bursts of air kept leaving her, evidence that she was trying to hide her tears. Hot Shot swallowed before he cleared his throat, alerting his mother to his presence. Optimus' head shot up and she turned around quickly.

"Hot Shot," she murmured as she brushed tears away from her optics, "is something wrong?"

"I was going to ask you that." He replied. She stiffened slightly, probably expecting him to ask her why she was crying. "You've been avoiding me and I want to know why."

Optimus sighed softly. "Sweetspark, I haven't meant to ignore you." She stated softly. "There's just…some problems concerning you that I'm trying to work out."

Hot Shot frowned, which appeared to be becoming a habit for him. "Why can't I help?" He asked. "If it concerns me, shouldn't I have a say in it?"

"It's complicated." She replied softly, her optics twinkling in a smile. "Don't worry about it sweetspark, I've almost got it all figured out."

Hot Shot opened his mouth to argue when the Minicon alarm went off. Optimus spun around and started tapping away at the keyboard, trying to discover where the Minicon was. Everyone else came running in, closely followed by the human kids.

"Where is the Minicon, Optimus?" Alexis asked, giving Optimus that strange hero worship look that she had adopted.

"In the canyons not far from here." She replied. "You kids stay put." She added. "Autobots, roll out!"

It took a few minutes for everyone to reach the warp room, enter the co-ordinates, and actually get to the location. By that time, the Decepticons had already turned up and, needless to say, a battle ensued.

Optimus found herself fighting against Sideways, who was still angry about her snapping off his horns. She easily dodged his gunfire, since he couldn't shoot straight to save his metallic hide. After 10 minutes of shooting at her pointlessly, she finally sighed and blasted him back 10 feet into the rock face. His whole body slumped and he lay still on the ground, his foot twitching occasionally. A sudden explosion drew her attention away from the fallen Decepticon and towards a towering figure not far away; Megatron. She saw a flash of yellow as he knocked something aside like it was a fly and her fuel tank clenched in pain.

"Hot Shot." She whispered before she took off towards them.

She smashed into Megatron's side, sending the purple tyrant flying to the left and smashing into the ground with a slightly sickening crunch. She glanced down at Hot Shot and her optics 

widened in horror. His body was covered in energon, his armor was cracked, and his optics were shattered. She sank down beside him and touched his face gently. He jerked away from her and she let out a soft hushing noise to calm him down.

"It's ok, Hot Shot." He whispered softly.

"Is it?" Megatron growled behind her.

Optimus stood up slowly and turned towards him. She bit back a feral growl as she placed herself protectively above her son. Megatron raised an optic ridge as he turned his gun towards her. She heard Hot Shot let out a soft sigh as he fell unconscious behind her and she glared up at the larger mech in absolute defiance; there was no way in the Pit that he was hurting her pride and joy.

"Not planning on having him for your mate huh?" Megatron growled.

"No, I'm not." She replied calmly.

Megatron growled again. "Then why are you…," he started to say when his optics widened in shock. He looked down at the yellow mech and his mouth opened in disbelief. "Why…why can I sense his spark?" He asked.

Terror washed over her as she looked up at her mate. "W-w-what?" She whispered.

"I can sense his spark." Megatron repeated himself. "Why is his spark pulsing in tempo with mine?"

Optimus shook her head in disbelief; she didn't know how Megatron could sense him. Usually Hot Shot kept his defenses up, even when he was asleep. The stress of the damage must have exhausted him enough that his defenses fell just to make sure that he remained alive. She took a more defensive stance over her son as Megatron moved towards her. He stared down at her, some emotion that had no plausible explanation in his optics.

"Is he…is he ours?" He asked.

Optimus snorted angrily. "How can he be yours?" She growled. "You don't care for anyone but yourself."

Megatron froze. "I care about you." He whispered.

"Liar." She snapped.

"He has my optics." He stated softly, a genuine smile appearing on his face. "Not the colour, but the shape."

Optimus looked away. "I've always that too." She whispered. "But that doesn't mean that he is yours. He will never be yours." She added with a flash of her optics.

Megatron looked down into her optics and frowned. He started to reach for her as the sound of screeching tires met them and the next thing he realized, he was knocked sideways again and into the ground. He grunted as he pushed himself back to his feet and glared at the transformer that had dared to hit him. The mech's red optics glared back at him, the Minicon panel safely tucked under his arm.

"Fool." He chuckled as he took aim at the Autobot. "You shouldn't have brought the Minicon here. You're making this all too easy for me."

The panel glowed and before Megatron could even realize what had happened, he was being beaten back by the Autobot. He growled before he called his troops to retreat. The new mech snorted before he turned back to Optimus.

"Is he okay?" He asked as Optimus gingerly picked up Hot Shot's prone body.

"He'll be fine." She replied. She looked at the mech and smiled behind her face mask. "I see you found the Minicon, Blur." She added.

Blur shrugged. "I guess." He replied as the Minicon started beeping at him from his shoulder. "What's it saying?"

"He says his name is Incinerator." She replied as she rested her son's head against her chest. Blur looked at the Minicon sitting contently on his shoulder and nodded slightly. Optimus chuckled before she gave the order to return to base.

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Megatron sat in his throne staring at the opposite wall. He had a son. He couldn't believe it; this whole time, he had a son. He grinned. Hot Shot was a lousy shot most of the time, but even he could see the potential in the young mech. His grin slowly faded as he thought back on what Optimus had told him.

Hot Shot obviously didn't know about his origins, otherwise he would have caused some real drama whenever they met instead of merely growling and open firing on him. But, this explained why Hot Shot was always around Optimus and why he was constantly coming to her rescue. He couldn't believe that he had overlooked something like that.

Hot Shot's body design reminded him slightly of Optimus' old one. Small build, innocent face, intelligent optics; it was Oriona all over again. How he had missed all of that was a complete mystery. He shifted slightly in his chair and reached out along over his bond, looking for Hot Shot.

A weak defense led him straight to his son. Hot Shot was looking for some form of comfort and obviously thought that it was Optimus reaching out to him because he accepted him right away. He sent soothing waves to his son, careful not to say a word; the last thing he needed was Hot Shot to freak out in such a critical state of damage. Hot Shot lapped up the comfort quickly and it was almost like he was begging for more. Megatron smiled to himself as he continued to send reassurance to his son. Gratitude flooded his mind as Hot Shot sank into a much more relaxed state and Megatron pulled away.

He still didn't know what to do about this little fact. He could take Hot Shot under his wing, but, he didn't want Optimus hating him for it. And besides, Hot Shot hated the Decepticons too much to ever truly be one of them.

He smiled to himself. Hot Shot; Optimus knew that's what he wanted to call his son, if and when they had one. He remembered that day when Optimus had asked him that, timidly as usual and he had responded instantly, telling her exactly what he would call his son and the reasons behind it.

**Flashback**

Megatron sighed softly as Oriona rested her head against his chest. He had to admit that this had been a nice piece of land that he had managed to secure for them. He ran his hand along Oriona's helm as she rubbed her head against his chest. He knew that something was troubling her, even though they hadn't bonded to each other yet.

"What's wrong?" Megatron whispered.

Oriona looked up at him and smiled innocently. "What makes you think that something is wrong?" She asked, flickering her optics in that adorable way of hers.

Megatron chuckled as he nuzzled his face into Oriona's neck. "You can't fool me." He whispered softly. "Something's bothering you. Your shoulders are stiff and your back is too ridged."

Oriona sighed. "I hate that you can tell if something is bothering me." She murmured.

Megatron chuckled as he kissed her neck. "I think it's an advantage. That way I know if you need to be cheered up…or if I have to run the other way really fast." He stated.

Oriona laughed in return as she gave his head a shove. "Alright smart-aft." She stated.

Megatron put a horrified look on his face. "Oriona! What a foul mouth you have!" He stated in false mortification. He grinned deviously. "Do I need to clean it for you?" He purred as he brought his face close to hers.

Oriona grinned in return before she kissed him. Megatron purred as he returned the kiss, twisting his arms around her body and pulling her in close to him. Oriona pulled back and smiled at him as she rested her head against his chest.

"That was rather short." Megatron commented as he pouted.

"Mmm, but really good." Oriona purred.

Megatron laughed, the noise resounding around them and earning a happy laugh from Oriona. Megatron stroked her back and purred softly. "So, what's bothering you?" He asked.

Oriona sighed. "Megatron…why…why would you want to bond?" She asked looking away from him.

Megatron frowned. "Why would I want to bond?" He repeated as he stroked her back and looked up and across the fence that blocked them from the rest of the city. "Hmm, I think the main reason would be to know what you're feeling at all times." He replied as he looked down at her and stroked her helm. "And so that I never have to guess at whether or not I should say certain things."

Oriona smiled up at him. "Really?" She whispered. "You want to bond just so you know that I'm happy or not?"

Megatron chuckled. "What kind of question is that?" He asked as he rubbed his nose against hers. "Of course! You know that making you happy is one of my top priorities! Making sure my aft doesn't get fried when I walk through the city is another one." He added with a laugh.

Oriona beamed happily before she frowned. "So…having a sparkling…that isn't a…well…you know…a priority?" She asked.

Megatron looked down at her in disbelief. "Of course I want a sparkling!" He exclaimed. His face softened as he caressed her cheek. "But I want to wait until you think you're ready to handle something like that." He murmured.

Oriona smiled nervously. "So…what would you name your sparkling?" She asked.

Megatron chuckled. "If it's a mech, I'd call him "Hot Shot"." He replied.

She frowned. "Why would you call him that?" She asked.

Megatron chuckled. "Because mechs tend to act like their fathers." He replied. "And am I not a big hot head sometimes?"

Oriona made a face. "Sometimes?" She asked. "More like all the time, Mister Superiority issues." She teased.

Megatron slammed his hand against his chest and sniffled. "That hurts." He murmured. "That hurts right here."

Oriona laughed as her "mate" acted hurt. "So," she stated after she calmed down, "what would you name your femme?" She asked.

Megatron smiled softly as he looked over her head and into the distance. "I'd name my daughter "Grace"." He replied. "Because no matter what is happening, there is always a hidden elegance in everything."

Oriona sighed softly. "That's really deep." She murmured.

Megatron chuckled. "You sound surprised." He stated. "I can have my philosophical moments like anyone else."

Oriona chuckled as she wiggled out of his embrace. "Yah, but yours are few and far between." She teased.

Megatron's optics flashed playfully. "Oh really?" He asked as he stood up.

Oriona squealed as she took off running across the yard, Megatron racing right behind her. She spun around and lost her footing as he grabbed her. With a shout the both went tumbling end over end across the metallic ground. They came to a stop with Megatron holding Oriona's head gently in his hand while he hovering over top of her body. She looked up at him as they both lay there panting, smiles plastered to their faces. She lifted herself up and placed her lips against his. Megatron didn't need another invitation; he scooped her up into his arms and carried her back to the house and into their room, all without breaking the kiss.

**End Flashback**

Megatron nodded to himself. Optimus defiantly had thought about him when she named their son. He wondered when he had been sparked; during their initial, mating that had caused Oriona to flee from him, or the second time when she had been upgraded to Optimus Prime?

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Optimus stood waiting just outside the med bay. Red Alert had been working on Hot Shot for three hours now and she was beginning to get antsy. Her son could be dying for all she knew and she couldn't even figure out some way to assist. Of course, Red Alert practically throwing her out of the med bay hadn't helped matters.

As the med bay doors slid open, Optimus jumped to her feet. She didn't even need to ask before Red Alert smiled and stepped aside to let her in. She let out a sigh of relief as she rushed past him and into the med bay.

Hot Shot was sitting up already, a slightly dazed look on his face. He smiled for a moment before Optimus had her arms wrapped around him and pulling him into her chest in a deadly bear hug. He flailed his arms around for a moment before he laughed and returned the hug.

"You know, for someone who sent me reassurance a while ago, you sure are acting oddly happy." He commented with a laugh and a grin.

Optimus felt her spark clench painfully; she had to tell him about Megatron. She sighed. "Sweetspark, that wasn't me." She murmured. When Hot Shot gave her a confused look she sighed. "There…there's something you need to know." She murmured. "Hot Shot…your father must have been the one who sent you comfort."

Hot Shot frowned. "So…who's my dad?" He asked in confusion.

Optimus looked away before she sighed. "Megatron."

**Author's Note:** Mwahahahah! Cliffie! Don't kill me! Anyways, I thought that there should be another reason behind Hot Shot's naming so there you have it. Megatron and Optimus used to be such a cute couple…all it took was one night of too much high-grade…but that's a different story. So leave me a review please and thank you, but refrain from flaming.


	12. Explanations and Arrivals

Chapter 12 Explanations and Arrivals

Chapter 12 Explanations and Arrivals

Hot Shot stared up at her in horror. "What?"

Optimus sighed. "I should have told you sooner, I know, but you never asked about who your father was, so…."

Hot Shot shook his head in disbelief. "How? Why is he my dad?" He demanded. "He's a fragging Decepticon! You're an Autobot!"

"We were in love, but that was an eternity ago." Optimus sighed. "Long before the Decepticons were established."

"How could you ever love HIM?!" Hot Shot snarled. "He's the biggest fragging aftshaft I've ever met!"

"He was different back then." She replied as she sat down on the berth. "He use to be so romantic and loving and…oh he was so many things!" She mused. "He used to have packs of admirers following him, all of them wishing that they could have him. Of course, those who became Autobots would deny it, but, he was considered so striking and handsome." She sighed. "Mech, to see him always startled you when you first saw him. He always towered over everyone, even when he was a sparkling apparently. Then there were his colours; green and purple were almost never seen together and look good, but he made it look so gorgeous."

"Mom!" Hot Shot shouted. "Focus! Why is he my dad?!"

"Huh? Oh, well, he forced me to bond with him." She replied sadly. "He was as cratered as the moon that night." She shuddered.

"What?!" Hot Shot shouted. "Wait until I get my hands on him! I'll make him pay for that!"

Optimus held up her hand. "The damage is already done." She stated plainly. "He's living with the consequence everyday; not having me or you."

Hot Shot stared at his hands. "Why did you tell me now?" He demanded. "Why not let me continue to believe that I had no dad because he was killed in the beginning of the war?!"

Optimus looked away and sighed. "He just found out." She replied.

"That's not…wait…what?"

"He never knew about you either." She stated as she looked back at him.

"He…you didn't tell him that he had a son?" He asked.

Optimus gave him a semi-annoyed look. "Wouldn't that have been an interesting battlefield conversation? "Oh, by the way, we have a kid. Isn't that great? And the best part is you'll never meet him!" That wouldn't have gone over very well." She stated as she shook her head.

"Then how did he find out if you didn't tell him?" Hot Shot asked as he gave his mother a glare.

"When you were injured on the battlefield, the defenses around you spark dropped and he could sense your spark pulsing in tempo with his."

"Oh…slag."

"Yah, you think?"

"Would he have captured me if you hadn't have been there?"

"I honestly don't know."

"How could you not know? He was your mate!"

"Technically, he still is. I haven't mated with Jetfire…or rather bonded with him."

"Eww. Way too much info." He commented with a grimace.

Optimus laughed as the Minicon alarm went off. "Well, back to business as usual." She stated as she helped Hot Shot to his feet. "Come on; let's go get that Minicon."

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Hot Shot sighed as he looked at the others. He had been sent back to the base earlier than the others because he had sustained heavy damage, again. "So, Megatron got the last Minicon needed for the Skyboom Shield?"

"Unfortunately." Smokescreen replied.

"It's my fault." Blur sighed. "If I hadn't shot at it, it wouldn't have run."

Optimus raised her hand to silence him. "It's noble of you to take the blame, but we have other things to worry about." She stated. "With Megatron in possession of the Skyboom Shield and the Starsabre sword, we are in very big trouble."

Everyone nodded; with the Starsabre sword, Megatron had been almost impossible to stop. Now that he had the only thing that could counteract the power of the Starsabre, they were, in short, doomed. "Don't worry Optimus!" Hot Shot shouted as he punched the air. "We'll get those Minicons back! And save the others too!"

Optimus nodded. "Go get some rest everyone." She stated, dismissing them. "We're going to need it." She added after everyone left her alone in the control room.

"You have no idea." Megatron chuckled.

Optimus jumped and spun around. She wanted to scream on reflex when she found herself facing the entire Decepticon army. She felt herself freeze as terror settled in her fuel tank and backed up. "How?" She whispered.

"How did we get in here?" Megatron sneered. "It would appear that your security isn't as good as it should be. It was easy to hack into the coding and get admission."

She backed up against the main console as the Decepticons pressed forward, cutting off any chance of retreat. She ran her left hand behind her across the keys, searching for the "intruder" button. A strange Seeker with a pointed head and gun-like fingers stepped towards her, his head rising and falling as he examined her. There was a glint in his optics similar to a smirk, so she guessed he was smirking beneath his face mask.

"Aren't we a pair?" He asked. Optimus cringed; his voice had a whiny tone to it.

She heard Starscream laugh before he elbowed the other Seeker aside. "Get real, Thrust. What would Prime see in you?" He sneered.

"Whole Pit of a lot more than what she would see in you!" Thrust snapped.

Optimus found the button as Starscream went to retort with some cocky response and pressed it. The alarm blared, raking against everyone's audios. Shouts went up and footsteps started racing down the hallway. While the other Decepticons started panicking, Megatron rounded on her. He snarled slightly as he started moving towards her. She brought her wrist cannon on her right arm up and started taking aim on his chest. A laser blast rendered her arm useless and she screamed as the nerves exploded in pain.

"Ah, ah, ah." Thrust scolded. "That's no way to treat your new leader. Your title won't mean anything; you are Decepticon property now, my pretty little femme."

At her incredulous look, Megatron laughed. "Better add "personal toy to the Decepticon Leader" to that title of yours Prime." He stated with a flash of his red optics, making her spark flutter in her chest.

"What? B-b-but sire!" Thrust whined. "I already…."

Megatron rounded on the conehead, and snarled. "I am leader, Thrust, I get first pick of **anything** captured, including enemy femmes."

Thrust squeaked and nodded quickly, not wanting to argue with the giant. Megatron turned back to Optimus and grinned as he walked forward and grabbed her only functioning arm. He bared his fangs in a smile as she hissed in disgust and tried to pull her arm back. His grip tightened as he pulled her closer to him. He turned his head back towards the door as it burst open and the rest of the Autobot army charged in. Hot Shot's face twisted in rage as Megatron laughed and pulled her closer still. He grabbed her chin and forced it up to look at him before he leant in and licked her antenna, earning a roar of hatred from the Autobots and a shriek of disgust from her.

"Signora Autobots." Megatron laughed as the warp sequence was activated and they were teleported out of the base and back to the Decepticon base. The last thing she saw was Hot Shot reaching for her, a desperate look in his optics.

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Megatron chuckled as he shoved Optimus towards Cyclonus and Demolisher. The grabbed her arms and twisted them painfully behind her back, causing her to cry out in pain. She struggled against them until Cyclonus gave her damaged arm a twist and sent her body into painful spasms. The other Decepticon's laughed at her as her screams echoed around them.

"Take her to the holding cells." Megatron ordered. "I'll be down shortly to…persuade her to our side." He added with a grin, earning more laughs from the Decepticons.

She was dragged backwards down the hallway, crying out as her arms were getting wrenched out of their sockets. Cyclonus cackled insanely as they reached the holding cells and he reached back and patted her head. After a verbal squabble over where they were throwing her, they entered a cell near the back of the room. She was slammed against the wall as the two mechs chained her arms up above her head. When they released their hold on her, she slumped to the ground, disoriented and winded from the rough treatment. She heard them talking to one another and laughing.

"Watch." Cyclonus laughed somewhere above her.

Optimus screamed as the copter's fingers dug into the plating on her shoulder and tore the wires out of place. His hand trailed down her chest and she shrieked in the indignity of what he was doing. His tongue licked her collar before his hand moved to the main fuel line in her neck and he began to caresses it. "Aw, you like that, don't you Prime?" The copter laughed. He leant in and licked her face mask. "How about I let you decide which bots better? I'll give you a test run here, then you can compare me to the Boss once he's done with you." He cackled.

"Did I give you permission to torture the captive?" Megatron's voice growled.

Cyclonus yipped in fear as he leapt away from her. "I just thought…." He whimpered.

"Both of you, OUT!" Megatron snarled. Demolisher and Cyclonus squeaked and took off running. When both of them had left, he turned back to her. "My apologies, Oriona." He murmured. "I truly am sorry that you had to go through that."

"Like the Pit you are!" She snarled. "You!"

"Enough." Megatron stated softly and she fell silent for some reason beyond her understanding.

He smiled softly as he knelt down in front of her, bringing her body close to him without putting too much strain on the chains. His hand ran over her face before settling on the clasp of her face mask. He quickly disconnected both clasps and removed the face mask. Optimus gulped before his lips were pressed against hers, and she felt herself seize up for a moment before relaxing into his body with a soft moan. She watched with only half awareness as Megatron's hand started closing around her face mask. With a yelp, she pulled away.

"No! Don't…."

**Crunch**

"Break it." She sighed as Megatron tossed her demolished face mask away.

Megatron chuckled softly before he returned to kissing her. "Sorry, my love, but I don't like that face mask. I don't like anything that hides you from me." He purred as he nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck and nibbled on the lesser fuel lines.

Optimus tried to growl at him but it turned into a purr before she could stop it. Megatron purred in return as his hand started trailing down her body and started working on the clasps in her armor. She whimpered and shook her head in desperation but Megatron silenced her quickly with a kiss.

"Megatron…please…don't." She managed to gasp out in between kisses.

Megatron stopped and looked down at her. "Why?" He asked softly.

Optimus shook her head. "Not…not when I'm nothing more than a play thing." She replied as she tried to ease herself out of Megatron's embrace. "I want to be able to move around…not be chained up like some…pet."

Megatron pulled her back and smiled. "The chains make it interesting." He purred. At her insulted look he chuckled again before kissing her again.

"Why don't you get your filthy mouth off of her?" A cocky voice demanded.

Megatron growled and started to turn around. A blur of white and red flashed by before he was tossed to the other side of the holding cell. Megatron gave a grunt of pain before going temporarily offline. Optimus looked up and her golden optics widened in shock. The towering white and red shuttle's optics shone happily down at her as he knelt down in front of her and broke the brittle metal off of her wrists. She collapsed against the shuttle's chest and felt joyful tears leak down her face as he stood up. She looked up into his bright yellow optics and smiled as he took off his face mask and kissed her.

"Jetfire."

**Author's note:** Enter the Jetfire! Whoo! Go shuttle boy! Save her from some horrible fate! You can bet some love scenes between these two are coming up, and some fun love triangle problems will arise! Insert overexcited fangirl sqeal here…geez, I'm not even a fan of Optimus and I'm all giggly! Anyways, please leave me a review on your opinion, but if you don't like it, put it down maturely please and thank you. Thank you!


	13. Saviour

Chapter 13 Saviour

Chapter 13 Saviour

Optimus smiled up at Jetfire as he pulled away from her and glared at Megatron. She dared a glance and almost sighed in relief; he was still out cold.

"I can't believe that he kidnapped you." Jetfire growled as he replaced his face mask.

"It wouldn't be the first time he's done it." She replied softly as she snuggled against his chest.

Jetfire let out a snort before he turned and exited the holding cell. "Then let's get back to the base." He stated as he headed up into the hallway.

Optimus nodded weakly before she rested her head against his chest and smiled. "I've missed you." She whispered.

Jetfire caressed her face gently as he continued to walk, careful to check around corners for any of the Decepticons. "I know; I've missed you too." He replied as he looked down at her and his optics twinkled.

Optimus closed her optics as his movements began to lull her into recharge. She trusted Jetfire with all her spark; she knew that he would get her out of a dangerous situation if one presented itself. She saw no reason why she couldn't at least try to get some recharge in. Jetfire started humming softly, almost as if he knew that she needed the extra comfort. She smiled again before she offlined her optics and fell into a much needed recharge.

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"Optimus, Optimus wake up." Jetfire whispered into her audio receptor.

Optimus slowly onlined her optics and stared up into Jetfire's twinkling golden ones. He nuzzled his face into her neck and she let out a soft purr as she wrapped her arms around his neck and held herself close to him.

"We'll be at the base in a couple of minutes." Jetfire whispered. "I didn't want to risk them warping into the base behind us, so I set the co-ordinates a little ways away."

Optimus smiled. "Thank you for coming after me." She whispered. "I thought…that Megatron would convince me that I did want him."

Jetfire's optics seemed to dim slightly. "You still love him." He stated. "I can understand that, but, I don't like that he treats you as a prize."

Optimus smiled sadly. "It's not fair to you." She murmured.

Jetfire laughed, sending her spark into backflips. "Hey, when you love someone, it's hard to just forget about them." He nuzzled his face into her shoulder. "Besides, now Megatron will have to wait in line; I get to be Optimus' main mech now." He purred.

Optimus laughed as she kissed his face mask. "You little rat." She teased.

Jetfire smiled as he began to lose altitude. "Better rein yourself in Optimus." He teased. "Can't stand in front of your mechs and kiss the life out of me."

Optimus laughed before they landed at the entrance to the base and Jetfire set her down gently on the ground. She quickly keyed in the password and the door slid open to allow them admission. She barely got three steps into the door before she was tackled by a blur of yellow. She heard a sob before arms wound tightly around her back and she looked down at Hot Shot in shock.

"I thought…you were gone…for good." Hot Shot sobbed.

Optimus gently pried his arms off of her before she hugged him back. "I'm never gone for that long." She laughed gently as she kissed Hot Shot's forehead. "Now, I've just got to go get another face mask."

Hot Shot looked at her and laughed. "Megatron destroyed the other one?" He asked.

Optimus nodded. "It's getting extremely annoying, along with the kidnapping." She replied as she moved past him.

"Optimus!" Someone shouted.

Optimus paused and looked down at her feet. "Oh, hello." She replied with a smile as she noticed the human kids.

"What happened to your face mask Optimus?" Rad asked as he frowned.

Optimus sighed. "It was destroyed." She replied.

Jetfire walked up behind her and glanced down at the kids. "What are those?" He asked as he bent down to examine them.

"The human children that have been helping us look for the Minicons." Optimus replied. "This is Rad, Carlos, Alexis, Billy, and Fred." She added, pointing out the respected preteen.

Jetfire nodded before he stood up. "Name's Jetfire." He stated. "Second in Command of the Autobot forces and the best looking mech on any planet." He added.

Alexis giggled while Carlos gave Optimus a grin. "So, this is your boyfriend?" He asked. Optimus really wished she had her face mask since she felt her cheeks starting to heat up as she nodded.

Jetfire looked at her and his optics sparkled. "You told them about me?" He asked as he stepped closer to her.

"Maybe we should leave them alone." Alexis suggested as she started pushing on the others' backs. "Come on."

Jetfire chuckled as the kids vanished into the control room. "I'm going to kill you." Optimus hissed as she started walking to her room.

Jetfire laughed as he followed her. "Harmless fun Optimus." He replied as he wrapped his hand around her waist. "You know I wouldn't have done something like kiss you in front of them." He added as he stopped her just outside her quarters. "I know you like to keep things secretive when it comes to relationships." He added as he rested his face on her shoulder as he reached around her and keyed in the password.

She glared at him. "How do you know the password?" She demanded.

"I know you, Optimus. You always make the password to your room Hot Shot's birthday." He replied softly as he pulled her into the room.

Optimus shook her head as she let him close the door behind them. "You're a little too snoopy sometimes." She stated as she walked over to her closet.

Jetfire's hand closed around her wrist as he gently pulled her away from the closet. "Optimus, forget about the face mask for a little while." He purred as his hand found a clasp in her armor.

Optimus gasped before she looked back at him. His optics were full of lust and she felt herself shiver slightly. His left hand left the clasp in her armor and came to rest on her face. She raised her own hand and placed it on top of his, a soft smile creeping across her face. His right hand unclipped his face mask from his helm and he tossed it aside before pulling her into a kiss.

She relaxed as she returned the kiss wholeheartedly. His right hand slid down her back and started unbuckling the clasps to her armor. She gasped as his finger slid across a very sensitive wire and he paused before that cocky look that she loved appeared in his optics. He went back to that wire and began to caress the wire, earning gasps and moans of delight and pleasure from her.

"Jetfire." She moaned as he took her plating off.

Jetfire smiled at her before he kissed her again. "I'm still fully armored." He teased.

Optimus laughed as her hand trailed up his cockpit and to his neck. She unclasped his chest armor while he shuddered and moaned with pleasure. She purred softly as they both began to remove the other's armor, although, Jetfire was slightly more obsessed with her breast plates than anything else.

He carried her over to the bed before setting her down and swinging himself overtop of her. He grinned as he leant in and kissed her lips before slowly heading down her body. She moaned as his glossa slid across her stomach and shudders started racing through her. Jetfire rose above her and smiled down at her before he kissed her again.

"Come on Shuttle boy." Optimus teased as she made sure her com-link was deactivated. "Show me what you got."

Jetfire didn't need any more invitations before he took her.

**Author's note:** This took forever to figure out how I was going to write it. Bleh, I don't like how it turned out anyways. Talk about temporary writer's block. Grr, stupid brain, oh well. Leave me a nice review on the way out.


	14. Touchy Explanations

Chapter 14 Touchy Explanations

Chapter 14 Touchy Explanations

Optimus woke up with a small yawn the next morning. She slowly onlined her optics and smiled when she saw Jetfire sleeping soundly beside her, his arms wrapped around her bare waist. She shook her head slowly before she nudged his head. He let out a low moan before pulling her closer to him and burying his face in her neck. She sighed before she started poking his head.

"Get up you lazy aft." She stated evenly as a sneaky grin crossed her face. "Come on Jetfire, I can't feel my chest with your huge head on it."

"My head is where?" Jetfire asked in excitement as he onlined his optics. "Hey! This is your neck!"

"Very good." Optimus replied. "Now get up."

Jetfire pouted as he sat up. "You play dirty." He whined as he started collecting his armor.

Optimus laughed as she quickly put her breast plates back on. "Well, it was one way to get your aft out of bed." She replied as she slid her leg plating on. "Admit it; you were hoping that your face was on my chest."

"Uh yeah!" Jetfire replied as he put his pelvic plate on backwards.

"You're such a sparkling." She sighed. "And that plating is on backwards." She added as she put her own pelvic plate on.

Jetfire groaned before he switched his plating around and looked up at her. "How could you tell?" He asked.

Optimus glared at him. "Jetfire, you know better than I do that the square part goes at the front." She stated as she pointed to his crotch. "I don't even have that and I know that." She added as she pointed at her flat plating.

Jetfire stuck his glossa out at her before putting his face mask on. "Know-it-all." He teased.

"That's Know-it-all Prime to you." She stated as she put her own face mask on and walked out of the room.

Jetfire came racing after her as he set the plating on his chest properly. He gave himself a small shake before standing up a little straighter and walked behind her. She shook her head before she walked into the computer room; he could be a swooning suitor one minute and a professional soldier the next. The other mechs gave her knowing grins when they spotted Jetfire and politely turned back to their work. Hot Shot handed her a cube of energon and she gave him her thanks before removing her face mask and taking a drink.

"So," Carlos' voice floated up from somewhere near Blur, "what are we doing today?"

"Nothing, besides looking for any Minicons." Blur replied as he continued to type away at the keyboard.

"Aww man." Carlos moaned.

"We always could learn a little more about the Transformers as a race." Alexis stated as she looked up at Optimus.

"Ok." Carlos replied before he grinned. "Do the Transformers have sexual intercourse?"

"Carlos!" Alexis shouted.

Optimus pulled her cube of energon away from her mouth as she started choking on what was in her mouth from shock. Jetfire gave her a thump on the back and caused a little of her energon to dribble down her face. She wiped it away as she gave another cough. Everyone was laughing and she thought for a moment it was because of her reaction, which was plausible; she probably looked like an idiot.

"N-n-not laughing at you!" Smokescreen cackled as he held his stomach. "I just can't believe he asked that!"

"But the look on her face was priceless!" Hot Shot squealed. "I swear she almost spit her energon across the room!"

Optimus put her face mask back on before she threw her empty cube at him, bouncing it off his head and making him yelp in surprise. He gave her a cheesy grin and she sighed and shook her head.

"Um hello? You didn't answer my question." Carlos stated with his arms crossed and a grin still on his face.

Red Alert sighed as he finished chortling. "Yes, Transformers do have sexual intercourse, as you called it, but ours is different than how yours is accomplished."

"And we call it interfacing." Hot Shot added.

"Can you go into details?" Carlos asked. Optimus did her best to stifle a groan.

"Some mechs and femmes are sensitive to this kind of discussion." Red Alert stated.

Optimus sighed before she placed her head in her hand. "May as well tell them." She sighed. "They won't stop bugging until they know anyways."

Carlos let out a whoop as Alexis let out a groan of disgust. "Men."

"Must be a universal thing." Optimus sighed as Jetfire moved past her. "You already know all this." She stated with an annoyed look in her optics.

"So? I can't learn it again?" Jetfire asked.

Most of the other males in the room chuckled as they got ready for a lecture from Red Alert. Optimus picked up Alexis, placed her on her shoulder, and leant against a computer desk on the outskirts of the circle of mechs. Both females were shaking their head at the display.

Red Alert sighed. "Well, first off, we have no organic parts to us." He stated. "So we do not have organs that humans do for your…reproduction."

"Doesn't work the same way anyways." Optimus stated to Alexis in an undertone. "A femme can't get pregnant from an interface."

"So, what does the male part look like?" Carlos asked.

Red Alert looked slightly scared at that question. "Describe it!" Optimus stated quickly.

"Must be a femme thing." Carlos laughed as Red Alert let out a sigh of relief.

"The mech part, as you called it, is a hollow tube that is surrounded by sensory wires." Red Alert stated.

"Weird." Carlos, Rad, Billy, and Fred commented.

Optimus shook her head. "Continuing," Red Alert stated, "the sensory wires are all fitted with a…hmm, well, a plug, at the ends."

"Why?" Carlos asked.

"A femme's internal receivers have the…"plug-in", so to speak, that the sensory wires connect with."

"Internal receivers?" Rad asked.

"The femme's internal receivers are located on the inside of her body and the only way to interface…." Red Alert started to say.

"Is for the mech to stick his tubing into the femme." Carlos laughed. Optimus was once again happy for her face mask as her face started heating up.

"Guess it isn't all that different from humans." Rad commented around a laugh.

"Except we do not disperse fluids into each other." Red Alert stated. "It is mostly a continuous supply of electricity that causes an overload."

Carlos shot a glance over his shoulder at her and Optimus did her best to keep her gaze level with him. He seemed to shrink slightly as her gaze hardened as she realized what he was insinuating with his glance. He was asking if she interfaced with another mech. While she may have, it was incredibly rude to ask such a thing from a femme, or even the Prime at that matter.

"So, if that's called interfacing and the only thing it causes is an overload, what creates little robots?" Rad asked slowly, no doubt afraid to insult someone.

"Spark bonding." Optimus replied.

"Spark bonding?" Rad asked. "What's that?"

Optimus smiled behind her face mask; she was a little more comfortable with this subject than interfacing. "Spark bonding is when a mech and a femme place their sparks against one another and bind themselves together."

"How romantic!" Alexis sighed.

Optimus chuckled. "Yes, it is." She replied evenly. "When spark bonding occurs, the two Transformers involved can sense each others' thoughts, feelings, whereabouts, and several other things. It is the ultimate display of loyalty that couples display to each other." She stated before she sighed. "Of course…you can break that trust by forcing the other to bond with you."

"It causes the forced recipient a great deal of pain." Red Alert stated as he quickly took over. "They are bound to the other until they bond with another, but usually the femme, as this occurs more often with them, does not trust anyone anymore and will never, usually, trust mechs again."

All the human boys looked slightly disgusted. "Who would do that?" Billy asked.

"Mechs that feel that they need to overpower the femme that they are with." Red Alert replied.

"Or they're too cratered to notice." Optimus stated. "I know someone very well that that was the reason that they were forced."

Alexis shivered beside her. "Did she ever forgive him?" She asked quietly.

Optimus shook her head. "No. It was not simply the forced bonding that turned her away from him for good, but what he did while trying to force her." She replied.

Red Alert nodded gravely. "I was there when she was brought in. Her arm was almost disconnected, one of her optics were completely destroyed, her leg was in shreds, and to top it all off, she had rerouted most of her power supply to her spark and womb chamber just to keep herself and her unborn sparkling alive. Then we had to perform an early transfer for the sparkling because we were going to lost it if it was left in her energy deprived body." He stated.

Everyone shivered. "Whoa, that's a lot of damage." Carlos whispered.

Red Alert nodded. "She was lucky that she was brought to Ratchet for repairs; he's the best CMO on Cybertron." He stated. "Got everything fixed in about 5 Earth hours."

Optimus grinned. "Yes, she was very grateful to him, even if he did think that the reason that she was injured was because she played "catch-me-if-you-can" with a feral cybercat." She chuckled.

While the humans looked confused, all the other mechs chuckled. "Cybercats are the equivalent, I believe, to a mountain lion here." Red Alert explained to the kids.

"Oh!" They all winced together. "That would be painful."

Optimus nodded. "Ratchet got a shock when he found out that her, well, they weren't properly mated so technically they wouldn't be mates but they called themselves that, had done all the damage." She added.

Carlos was staring at her curiously. "So if the Transformers have no organic parts, what are femmes' chests full of?" He asked.

"Carlos!" Alexis shouted in horror.

"It's ok Alexis; mechs will be mechs." Optimus stated before she gave Carlos a look. "Wires." She stated. "A mound of wires." She added.

"That is extremely…." Jetfire stated to say before Optimus squeaked.

"Shut up!"

Jetfire made his optics look as innocent as he could but she knew there was a grin underneath his face mask. Everyone giggled before the meeting dispersed and everyone returned to what they were doing before. Optimus offered Alexis her hand before lowering her to the ground. She turned around and started observing the computer monitor when something tugged at her spark and she froze.

'**Let me guess, a discussion on interfacing?'** Megatron's voice stated in her mind. She gave a terrified look around her before hissing at him.

'**That's none of your business.'** She spat.

'**Considering I can feel your sparkpulse increasing, I think it is my business, considering that you are my mate.'** Megatron replied evenly.

'**It's none of your….'**

'**I know that that subject matter has always made you uncomfortable.'** Megatron whispered as comfort flooded the bond, causing her shoulders to slump, her optics to close, and her intakes to lessen. **'I hate when you feel uncomfortable.'**

Optimus clenched her hand slightly, hoping that no one was noticing. She was unaware that Hot Shot had sensed Megatron's presence over the link and shooed everyone out of the computer room for a training simulation that he and Scavenger had put together. She tried to send hatred to him over the bond, but it died before she could find a good enough reason to build the hatred.

'**Leave me alone, Megatron.'** She half growled, half begged. **'Move on and find someone else. I already have.'**

'**That's why I can still reach you over our bond.'** Megatron chuckled.

'**Shut up!'** She snarled. **'I will bond with him when I feel the time is right.'**

Megatron sighed gently, sending shivers up her spine. **'Oriona, there will never be the right time.'** He whispered, suddenly not sounding like himself and startling her terribly. **'He isn't going to make it through the war.'**

Optimus stood there in shock before she snarled. **'You fragging liar! You're just saying that because you think that I would come running back to you! Get a fragging clue! I NEVER want to be with you again!'** She screamed at him, her spark clenching in pain at the last statement. She shoved Megatron presence away from her and instead headed off to the Training room. She wanted to be with Jetfire and drown her desires for Megatron away in his intoxicating embrace.

**Author's note:** Well, that was the closest thing that I've ever come to in feeling uncomfortable while writing. I hate sex discussions, I really do. Oh well, it was kinda fun to type. Wonder what Megatron meant with his last statement? Leave me a review before you leave! Thank you!


	15. Complications

Chapter 15 Complications

Optimus ducked out of the way of one of Cyclonus' wild shots before returning the laser fire. She was starting to get annoyed with the Decepticons constant attack and run away tactics lately. Jetfire was making it his newfound mission to insult them on their cowardly actions, and consequently kept getting shot by an annoyed Starscream. Optimus had to fight with herself not to burst out laughing every time Jetfire went flying past. It was humorous to say the least, especially since he always let out some sort of yipping noise as he went flying by.

Megatron glanced back at her for a moment before he ordered a retreat. Optimus stood up straight and placed her hands on her hips out of irritation.

"What is with you?!" She demanded as he vanished.

"I think he's jealous because he doesn't have such an awesome team." Jetfire commented as he landed beside her.

Optimus looked at the sky and shook her head. "Jetfire, you are so weird sometimes." She sighed before she turned around and walked over to an overhang of rock. "You ok, Hot Shot?" She asked.

"Yup, got the Minicon too!" Hot Shot replied as he popped up. "Had to wrestle Demolisher for it, but I got it."

Optimus nodded. "Well done." She praised. "Let's get back to base." She added before their warp sequence was initiated and they were warped back to base.

"Alright!" Carlos whooped as the Autobots walked into the base. "We got another Minicon! Way to go!"

"No problem for a group of superior warriors like myself." Jetfire bragged.

"Of course Jetfire." Optimus sighed. "That's why Starscream blasted you into another rock face."

Jetfire let out a squawk of shock at her comment and earned a chorus of laughter from everyone else. They all entered the command center of the base, discussing the odd tactics that the Decepticons were using lately. Everyone was sure that they had a hidden motive, but the problem was to try to figure it out. Hot Shot believed that they were secretly collecting Minicons before they were activated and using them to build a super weapon, Jetfire believed that they were simply losing interest in the war, Red Alert thought that Thrust was merely getting sloppy with his plans, Blur thought they were just having a short period of stupidity, and Smokescreen thought that they were just going through a spell of losing team work, not that they had any to begin with. Optimus kept her opinion to herself, although, she agreed with everyone on their thoughts on the subject.

"Hey, does anyone else see that car heading towards us?" Alexis asked as she pointed to the screen.

Optimus turned around and regarded the car that was heading towards them. It was around the same size as Hot Shot's alt mode, not incredibly big but not super small either. It was blue with white runners and a yellow bumper. There was black on it too, but it was difficult to tell where with all the dust the car was kicking up. It was heading straight for them and everyone knew that it was either an Autobot or a Decepticon since no human in their right mind would drive an Earth vehicle out there.

"Who do you think it is?" Hot Shot asked.

"Did someone order a pizza?" Rad asked.

"Yah, make mine fudge and anchovies." Carlos laughed.

"Eww!" Alexis and Rad laughed.

The car came to a stop just outside the doors to the base and transformed. The mech standing there had bright blue optics, a black head with a white face, and a blue, yellow, and white body. Optimus frowned behind her face mask; the little mech looked oddly familiar.

"Autobot soldier Side Swipe reporting for duty." The mech stated with a salute.

Optimus felt her fuel lines run cold as she heard the mech's name repeat over and over in her mind.

"Man, guys full of pep." Carlos laughed.

"Not going to get him too far." Alexis replied.

Optimus established a communication line with Side Swipe quickly. "You are acknowledged, Side Swipe." She stated as evenly as she could. "But please remain outside the base until someone arrives to escort you in."

"Understood, Ma'am." Side Swipe replied.

Optimus turned towards the others and did her best to calm her air intakes. She glanced at Blur and saw that he was shaking his head. "Something wrong, Blur?" She asked.

"That kid is nothing but trouble." He replied with a sigh.

Optimus quickly did her best to squash the well of rage from building inside of her. "Why do you say that?" She asked.

"I saved the kid back on Cybertron." He replied. "He seemed to think it was ok after that to follow me around."

Optimus smirked behind her face mask. "How sweet; he's turned you into his idol." She teased. Blur shot her a glare while everyone else laughed. "Joking aside," she continued, "Hot Shot, I want you to pair up with him."

"What?! Why?" Hot Shot demanded.

"Because you have patience that Blur lacks." She replied. "Side Swipe may look up to Blur, but he isn't the best to train the youngling. He might respond better to an older youngling who is going through similar training." She explained further.

"But, Optimus," Hot Shot started to whine.

"I'm counting on you, Hot Shot." Optimus stated, ending the discussion there and then.

Hot Shot gave her an incredulous look before crossing his arms and huffing. "Fine." He muttered.

"Thank you." Optimus replied with a smile behind her face mask. "Would you go retrieve him?"

Hot Shot grumbled but turned and left the room. Several minutes later, Hot Shot returned shaking his head and leading an awestruck Side Swipe. "This is the Command center." Hot Shot stated. "If anything goes wrong, we immediately come here for a briefing on the situation."

Side Swipe looked around, turning around slightly to get a good look at everything. He spotted Blur when he turned back around and his optics brightened. "Blur!" He shouted before he rushed over to the older warrior. "It's great to see you again sir!"

Blur visibly bristled. "Hello Side Swipe." He growled.

Optimus shook her head slightly. "Oh!" She heard Side Swipe gasp. "Optimus Prime! Ma'am, it's an honor!"

Optimus chuckled before she gave her youngling an even look. "I wouldn't call it an honor, youngling." She replied gently. "I'm not as perfect or extravagant as some mechs claim."

Side Swipe frowned and shook his head. "No, you are really great." He argued. "Landmine always had great things to say about you. All of the decisions you make take others into consideration and you do so many self-less things. You have to be the greatest Prime ever!"

Optimus felt her face plate heat up slightly before she chuckled. "Oh my. Landmine always did like to spin a good tale." She replied. "I wouldn't call myself the greatest Prime ever, but I certainly try. It isn't easy sometimes, I can tell you that."

Side Swipe nodded happily, obviously ecstatic that she had agreed with him on something. Hot Shot gave him a glare before grabbing his arm. "Come on, kid. Let's go see how good your aim is." He stated a little coldly before dragging him out of the room.

Optimus sighed before shaking her head. She nodded to the others before leaving the room and heading to the training room. She entered the observatory above the training field and watched as Hot Shot led his younger brother over to the targets. She sighed slightly as she watched Side Swipe shoot and miss the target. She knew that it was mostly nerves at being asked to do such a task by a visibly angry comrade, not that Hot Shot's joking was helping.

"What, are you shooting at your imaginary friend beside the target?" Hot Shot demanded with a laugh.

"Why don't you shut up?" Side Swipe snapped before he shot the target. "Ha! How was that?"

Optimus shook her head sadly and sighed again. She felt a hand on her shoulder and jumped. She spun around and looked up at Scavenger as he looked out at the two younglings. "He's one of the twins, isn't he?" He asked.

Optimus sighed sadly. "Yes, he is." She replied as she turned around.

"Do you think that they'll clue into each other?" Scavenger asked.

"It's possible." She replied. "But Hot Shot keeps a constant barrier around his spark to keep Megatron out. It's possible that it might stop Side Swipe from being able to sense him and vice versa."

Scavenger nodded. "Did you think you'd ever have to see him in battle?" He asked quietly.

"No, I hoped that Landmine would keep him away from the fights. But I guess since he left with Rodimus," she hissed, "he wasn't able to keep that part of the promise up. Oh well, at least I'll be able to keep an optic on him while he's here, and keep him out of Megatron's hands."

"Yeah," Scavenger agreed. "And we can only hope that Megatron doesn't catch wind that he has one other son besides Side Swipe out there. Primus help us if he ever finds Side Swipe's twin."

Optimus nodded in silent agreement. "Primus help us." She prayed. "Primus help us all."

**Author's note:** It's Side Swipe! Isn't he a little cutie? I love that guy in Armada! His great big optics are so adorable! Anyways, you just know that trouble is coming for the poor little guy, what with Wheeljack coming to Earth and all, so how is Optimus going to react to her little mechs getting caught up in all that? Stick around to find out! But, please leave me a review before you leave. Thank you!


	16. Dream

Chapter 16 Dream

Optimus bid the other mechs good night before she stood up from her spot at the bench in the rec room. Hot Shot gave her a smile before he waved his hand in a good-bye, Jetfire winked and earned a cuff from Scavenger who decided to "stretch" at that moment, and Side Swipe gave her a shy "good-night". She nodded to him, smiling behind her face mask before she turned and left the room. She reached her quarters and quickly keyed in her password. The door slid open to admit her and she sighed in relief before walking over to her bed and collapsing on top of it.

She curled up and thought over Side Swipe's unexpected appearance. She would have to tell him to keep a constant guard up around his spark. A very inventive lie would have to go along with it, because why would he have to keep a guard up if he didn't have any relatives? She sighed softly as she shifted around to get comfortable and, not for the first time since the beginning of the war, wished for a very certain mech to help her organize her thoughts and feelings. She turned off her optics and felt herself drift into recharge.

**Begin Dream**

"Yoh! Paxy, wait up!" Wingdagger laughed as she raced to catch up with her friend.

Oriona laughed as she slowed down to let her currently uncoordinated friend catch up. The taller femme smirked as she spotted someone at the end of the hallway leading to their last class of the day. Her red optics twinkled with mischief as they continued to walk.

"Guess who I just saw?" She teased as she tried to saunter, but her oversized body and undersized legs prevented her from doing so.

"Hmm, that Seeker that you like?" Oriona replied as she shifted her datapad bag around so that the strap was dangling over one shoulder.

"Well, him too, but nope." Wingdagger replied with another smirk as she turned to look at her best friend.

"Your brother?" She asked.

"Nope."

"My brother?"

"Uh uh."

"Then I have no clue who you saw." Oriona sighed. "It's our law class, there is, like, 10 of us taking it."

Wingdagger giggled as they approached the door leading into the classroom. "I saw that purple hottie that has his optic on you." She replied.

Oriona felt her face plate heat up. "That is so a lie!" She hissed quietly. "He could care less about me and you know that."

Wingdagger grinned before she opened the door. "Fine, keep telling yourself that." She teased before she quickly headed over to an empty seat in the front row.

Oriona groaned quietly before she took her normal seat in the middle of the room. She swung her datapad bag down onto the ground before fishing out her stylus, blank datapads, and any other tool she might need for the class. There was about two minutes before the bell actually rang for class to start so she had time to lounge a little. She glanced around the room, sighing slightly as she watched her best friend talk to another female Seeker decked out in the high classed uniform white, just like herself and Wingdagger, and anyone else from a high classed family.

That was one of the things that she hated about the school; the high classed individuals all wore white. Bland, boring white, the most ugly shade that had ever been created, at least in her opinion it was. Everyone who wasn't high class wore their usual armor, which were so varied in colour that it made her optics sting if she stared for too long. It set everyone apart, meaning that no high classed, aristocratic mech or femme, like herself, ever so much as spoke to someone without the white uniforms. And then from there, they divided themselves up; Seekers never spoke to Groundlings, not that she or Wingdagger let that rule interfere with their friendship anymore. They had become so sick of having to ignore each other that they started hanging out with each other anyways, not carrying what any of their other "friends" thought about it.

She shivered slightly, feeling as if someone was staring at her. She glanced behind her and gulped. There was the small group of "Slummers", as they were often referred to as since most of them lived in the slums of the various cities, sitting behind her. A red femme was talking in a low voice to a mech with light blue paintjob, ignoring her for the moment, so she knew it wasn't them that had been staring at her. Farther behind them, the red Seeker that Wingdagger was crushing hard on was talking to a mech who was hidden in the shadows of the back of the room. She couldn't see him very well, but she knew that he hadn't been the one who had been staring at her. Why would he? He probably had better things to do than look at someone as weak and pathetic as herself. She gave herself a small shake before turning back around, trying to clear her head of all the thoughts running through it. She almost screamed as her older brother slammed his hands down on the desk in front of her, a little too close to her face.

"Aww, did I scare you, sparkling sister?" He sneered.

"Go sit down, Hot Rod." Oriona stated calmly as she quickly regain her composure.

"Oh, of course, you're Highness." Hot Rod sneered before he walked past her and took a seat a few rows back and one aisle over.

"Creep." Oriona muttered before she turned back around in her seat as the bell rang.

She saw someone come skidding into the room just ahead of their teacher and smirked as she collapsed into a seat panting. She punched the air grinning, her pink armor covered in coolant from an obviously long run.

"Got stuck in Training class again, Arcee?" The red femme asked.

Arcee turned to the red femme and nodded. "Scavenger had me running laps." She replied. "Almost killed me!"

Oriona bit her lip to hold back her grin before she sighed and put folded her arms on her desk. She hated having to ignore the other Transformers in the room that weren't from aristocratic families or other rich families. She didn't find it fair but there was little she could do; it wasn't as if they wanted to talk to her anyways. They gave her dirty looks whenever she walked by and she had never done anything to any of them. She looked up as the teacher walked in and chuckled as he spotted the still panting Arcee.

"Did you have a nice run, Arcee?" He asked as he gave her a friendly grin, his blue optics shimmering in that strange manner that they always did.

"Oh, it was almost the death of me, Professor Kup." Arcee laughed.

"I'll have to have a talk with Scavenger about pushing you so hard; you only just transferred here." Kup chuckled before he addressed the class. "I see you are all ready for a dictation." He stated, his optics landing on Hot Rod for a moment, who obviously didn't have his notes out at all. "But, it will not be needed for today." Once the murmur of confusion died down as everyone put away their datapads and styluses, he spoke again. "Today we will be having an oral discussion, no need to take notes of it since it will only distract you."

"So, what's the topic?" The blue Seeker asked in his strange, heavy drawl that was more common from Southern Iacon than the slums of Eastern Iacon where he was from.

"The topic, Thundercracker, will be on equal rights." Kup replied, giving the mech a scolding look. "And please don't speak out of turn."

"Opps, sorry sir." Thundercracker apologized.

Kup nodded to him before addressing the class. "What comes to mind when you hear about equal rights?" He asked.

Arcee's hand flew up in the air, earning soft giggles from the class. Arcee's hand was usually the first to shoot up in the air at any question and she almost tumbled out of her seat every time. Kup nodded to her before she answered. "Equal right between femmes and mechs." She replied.

Several whoops went up from all the femmes in the class, which was about five. Kup chuckled. "Yes, that does come to mind, very good Arcee." He praised. "Anything else?"

Wingdagger thrust her hand into the air and Kup nodded. "Rights of Seekers and Groundlings." She stated, easily conveying her distaste to how most Seekers were treated. She earned a whoop from the two other Seekers in the class, both mechs, while her "friend" gave her head a shake.

"True, very true, and who knows that issue better than the Seekers themselves?" Kup agreed. He seemed to stare at Oriona for a moment before looking around the class again. "Anything else?" He asked again.

Oriona inhaled before she timidly raised her hand. When Kup nodded at her, she gathered her courage and stated what had always bothered her. "The rights of all Cybertronians, whether they are from rich families or not." She stated, venom leaking through her words when she said "rich".

She knew that she was going to get dirty looks, so it wasn't at all surprising when the whole class turned to glare at her, almost as if they were asking her why she had dared to open her mouth. Kup was nodding but a snort interrupted him before he could speak. "Why don't you shut your trap, Pax." Hot Rod snapped. "No one cares about your opinion."

"Actually, Hot Rod," a deep voice stated from somewhere in the back of the class, "Some of us do care about what femmes say. And speaking of equal rights, aren't you denying your own sister her rights for freedom of speech? Or have you just forgotten that everyone has that right?"

Hot Rod glared at the mech who was currently leaning forward in his seat and across the desk in front of him. His red optics were glowing slightly and a smirk was playing across his lips. His purple armor caught the lighting of the room, making it shimmer slightly, and the horns on his head were tilted back slightly and vanished into the shadows. He glanced at Oriona for a moment before returning his attention to the teacher. Oriona realized with a jolt that she was staring at him and quickly turned around to face Kup.

"Very well put, Megatron." Kup stated. "Yes indeed to both of the statements, Oriona's that is. Now, as such issues with our supposed Equal Rights laws are supposed to keep everyone's individual rights safe, they are easily broached, even by politicians. And no Wingdagger, we don't wish to hear the jokes you have on that topic." He added with an annoyed look at Wingdagger, who merely sighed and snapped her fingers in false disappointment.

The class continued on for the full two hours, discussing several different points that they believed needed serious tending to. Oriona kept quiet for most of the class, preferring not to earn anymore hatred from her older brother than she already had or the rest of the class for that matter. She felt optic drift over her back several times, but shrugged it off; she needed to concentrate on what was being discussed. When Kup called Thundercracker up to the front of the class, he paused on his way back to his seat only long enough to give her a friendly smirk, before sitting down. She didn't dare look behind her to see why he had been smirking, afraid to seem rude to Kup, but she had a strange feeling that Thundercracker was impressed by the fact that she had said what she had. When the bell rang, Kup told them that for homework they only had to read the next two chapters in the Law textpad they had been 

given, which would be easy enough, especially since most of them had read the textpad from front to back within the first week of classes.

Oriona swung her datapad bag up onto her shoulder and started walking out the door when Kup called her back. "Oriona Pax, I want to have a word with you." He stated.

Oriona turned around and walked over to him, ignoring the sniggers from her older brother and his little posse of aft-kissers. She stood nervously in front of his desk as he sorted through some of his datapads and reports. He didn't say anything until the last student had left the classroom and it left her wondering what she had done wrong.

"Oriona, do you understand what you said today in class?" He asked calmly as he looked at her.

"Y-y-yes." She squeaked.

"Do you feel strongly about that particular topic?" He asked calmly again. She felt her throat tightening up in fear and panic. She nodded fearfully. "Then, why don't you do something to try to change it?" Kup asked with a smile.

Oriona looked at him in shock before looking away. "I can't; none of them like me and I…I don't want to insult any of them by making them think that I pity them." She replied. "I…I don't belong in their world; I'm not tough enough."

Kup smiled. "It doesn't have to be that extravagant." He stated. "Why don't you try tracking down Megatron and thanking him for standing up for you?" He asked.

Oriona felt her face plate heating up. "Like he'd even notice me." She murmured.

"Just give it a try." Kup stated gently. "Try catching him when he's alone so you don't feel so uncomfortable."

Oriona bit her lip before nodding nervously. "I'll, I'll try, sir." She murmured.

"That's the spirit." Kup chuckled. "Now, you better get going before Wingdagger gets too worried about you."

Oriona smiled shyly at him before she turned and left the room. She started heading back to her dorm, weaving through the usual throng of mechs and femmes heading outside to get some fresh air before they had to go to their dorms. She brushed past a few people, murmuring apologizes when she walked into someone, or wincing as someone stepped on her foot. She received a few apologies from some of the taller mechs as they almost squashed her into the ground or knocked her clean off her feet. Not surprising was the fact that most of them were "Slummers", and she automatically told them that it was ok; she should be watching where she was going too so she didn't accidentally cause them to trip over her and break their legs. She made it to her dorm without too many dents and started punching in the code to her room. She stopped as she felt someone watching her and shivered again.

She turned around and stared fearfully around her. "Ok, seriously, who is there?" She demanded. When no one answered she growled. "Ha ha, very funny Thrust. You can Hot Rod that you aren't the least bit funny." She snapped bitterly before she turned around to continue punching in her password.

She heard a soft chuckle from behind her and jumped. "Talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity." A deep voice stated, sending small chills up and down her back.

"Hearing random voices is the second sign." She replied as she turned around.

Megatron stood grinning at her as he leant against the wall opposite her dorm room. "Answering them is the third." He replied with a chuckle. She laughed with him, finding it far easier to talk to him than she did with most other Transformers.

Oriona smiled shyly before she looked at her feet. "Look, um, I want to thank you, you know, for earlier." She murmured as she shifted from one foot to the other. "There aren't that many Transformers that would stick up for me like that."

"They don't know a good femme when they see one." He replied with a shrug. "I don't like seeing a femme getting picked on, rich glitch or not."

Oriona felt her spark fall out of her spark chamber. "Well, thanks again. I'm sure you have something important to do other than standing here talking to a rich glitch." She replied sadly before she turned and punched in the final digits to her room and waited for the door to slide open. As it slid open and she started to walk through it, Megatron's hand wrapped around the edge of it. She turned around to look at him and he tilted his head as he gazed at her through dark red optics.

"I never said you were a rich glitch." He stated evenly. "You're pretty decent compared to the other femmes that you dress like." He added before he released the door and walked away.

Oriona stared at where he had been standing a moment before. She walked over to the sound-proofing system and activated it. She turned around and swung her datapad bag onto the chair in front of her computer before she inhaled deeply. She covered her mouth as a very loud squeal of delight left her.

"He thinks I'm decent!" She squealed in delight as she punched the air. "Woohoo!"

**End Dream**

Optimus groggily onlined her optics as the last image faded away. She grinned in embarrassment as she remembered how badly she had been falling for Megatron but had been far too scared to admit it to him. It had taken a dare from her older brother, several cans of black paint, and faux orange optic covers to even gather the courage to talk to him without stuttering in mid-sentence. Sure, she always found it easy to talk to him, but she was supposed to be hitting on him and no matter how many times she would try to say something even resembling flirting, her voice broke in midsentence and she would turn a deep shade of red. She sighed; she missed those days, but she had to deal with the present, not the 

past. She had soldiers to worry about, Minicons to save from slavery, and sons to keep out of Megatron's claws. She sighed again before she snuggled down in her bed and drifted back off into recharge.

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Megatron growled as he lay down on his bed. His mechs were incompetent and that was an understatement. Thrust was making the most cowardly plans he had ever seen in his entire life, but he followed them because it gave him a reason to beat that stupid tactician afterwards; he never liked Thurst. Starscream was starting to get rebellious, more so than normal, and it was starting to worry him. He knew that his and Starscream's friendship was probably as dead as it got, but it didn't stop him from worrying about the other mech's mental state. He knew it was all his fault, but, it was so easy to pick on him when something went wrong. He couldn't stop himself anymore, he automatically turned on the smaller mech.

He sighed as his hand trailed across the part of the bed where his mate should have been waiting for him to cheer him up. He missed her dearly, more than he would ever tell anyone but her. She used to brighten up his world with everything she did, even when it was on accident. Her innocent smile, her delicate figure, her caring disposition, he missed it all. He knew that he was what caused her to run, but he couldn't remember anything that happened the night he had returned home more cratered than Earth's moon and forced her to bond with him. He would give anything to go back and fix it, but, he knew that was impossible; he had hurt Oriona Pax, his beautiful little femme, and she would never come back to him, not on her own. But he refused to give up on her just like that. He knew that there was a small flame within her that still burned for him, just as his entire being burned for her.

He powered down his optics before he sighed sadly. He leant his head back and allowed himself to slip into recharge.

**Begin Dream**

Megatron chuckled as he watched Oriona hop down off the stage, closely followed by Wingdagger, Arcee, Flamewar, and Quickstart. She grinned as she walked over to him and collapsed in his lap, fanning her face as coolant ran down it.

"Enjoy yourself?" Megatron asked as he wrapped his arms around his femme.

Oriona laughed happily. "Oh yeah! What a rush!" She laughed as she leant against him. "Mech, who would have thought that we could do that dance routine that fast?"

"I never doubted us for a minute." Wingdagger stated as she leant against Starscream's chest.

Arcee, Flamewar, and Quickstart all nodded in agreement, earning another laugh from Oriona. She rested her head against his chest and sighed as she snuggled in close to him. Three thousand years had passed since that fateful dance night where they had confessed their feelings to each other. Starscream had, of course, laughed at how they had ended up together and Wingdagger had scoffed and stated that she knew that they would end up together. Oriona sighed gently as she listened to his internal mechanisms whirl behind his armor.

Megatron shifted slightly as Starscream appeared beside him and sat down, pulling Wingdagger onto his lap. She giggled before she snuggled in close to her mechfriend. The two Seekers had been dating each other for almost five thousand years and had been trying to get their friends to date each other because they knew that they were made for each other. Wingdagger had tried everything to get Oriona with Megatron, even if it was only for a minute, while Starscream kept trying to "accidentally" push his larger friend into the smaller femme to force a conversation out of them, but, of course, he wasn't strong enough to throw Megatron off balance, even when one of his feet were in the air. When they had started dating after two thousand years of fruitless attempts, they were pleased with the outcome.

"Don't start kissing." Arcee groaned as Starscream grinned lovingly down at Wingdagger. "I want to keep my energon down."

"Younglings." Starscream chuckled as he straightened up slightly and held his femmefriend to his chest. He glanced at Megatron and laughed. "Looks like someone didn't hear you." He laughed as he motioned to his friend, who currently had Oriona in a very deep and passionate kiss.

"EWW!" Arcee squealed as she covered her optics.

Megatron pulled away from Oriona with a chuckle while Oriona's intakes increased slightly. "Wow." She whispered as quietly as she could as she rested her head against Megatron's chest.

His finger caressed her face gently while he spoke with Starscream about the homework assignment they had gotten from their Weapons instructor. "How are we supposed to find a decent working machine gun from the Battle of Kaon?" He demanded.

"No clue." Starscream replied as he shuddered slightly under Wingdagger's fingers circling his chest. "Think that mech forgets that that battle occurred eons ago and that all the guns had been sent to the smelter."

Megatron chuckled before he glanced at the tiny femme in his arms. She had a vacant expression on her face and he found it so captivating that he almost didn't want to move her. He ran his finger along her bottom lip gently and she jumped in shock. She looked up at him with her beautiful golden optics and his spark melted once again. He smiled gently as he brought his head down and nuzzled her affectionately. She purred into his audio and he wanted to get going and show her something that he had found the month before that much faster.

"Oriona," he whispered as he glanced around quickly, "There's something I want to show you."

Oriona looked up at him curiously, her already innocent face looking all the more innocent. "What do you want to show me?" She asked.

Megatron grinned as he kissed her forehead. "If I told you it would ruin the surprise." He cooed.

Oriona frowned slightly before she stood up on him and the top of her head just passed his horns, causing him to grin. She gave him a playful pout before she turned and hopped off of him. He stood up, nodding to Starscream who was currently fighting to keep Wingdagger's hand away from his sensitive cockpit. He nodded back before he distracted his femme by kissing her. Oriona shook her head before she followed Megatron out of the auditorium where the "Slummers" had organized a little dance party to unwind from the high tensions of the school year. She kept glancing up at him nervously as they walked through the deserted hallways towards a side exit.

Megatron took her tiny hand in his, squeezing it gently to help comfort her. She smiled up at him as they left the Academy building, carefully placing her hand on his leg so that she didn't accidentally startle him. He glanced down at her and tilted his head as they reached the boundary of the school yard. Oriona automatically stopped walking and stared after him as he left the school grounds.

"Wait, we're leaving the school grounds?" She asked nervously.

Megatron turned to her and smiled gently. "It isn't far." He cooed gently, knowing that she was against breaking school rules, something he never really thought about; if something needed to be done, screw the rules. "And I asked Scavenger for permission to leave the school grounds tonight." He added at her hesitant look. He held out his hand to her and smiled encouragingly. "Trust me, you'll thank me when we get there."

Oriona glanced back at the school and swallowed nervously before she nodded and took his hand. Megatron smiled before he pulled her close to him and swung her up into his arms. She yelped and clung to him for a moment before she playfully hit him.

"Why did you do that?" She demanded.

Megatron nuzzled her affectionately, careful not to crush her smaller body. "We'll get there faster if I carry you." He replied gently as he started walking again.

Oriona sighed before she snuggled up against his chest and watched the scenery as they walked. Megatron continued to walk along an old road that barely anyone used anymore because they thought that it was dangerous. He thought it just need a little cleaning up and a new paving job and it would be as good as new, but try telling that to any officials. They would rather waste their money on something like getting a new coat of paint on some municipal building rather than the well being of streets that sparklings and younglings often played on. It sickened him immensely at the sheer amount of apathy that any politician had towards the mechs and femmes that didn't work in the same type of job as they did.

"Megatron?" Oriona's voice cut through his brooding. "You're starting to scare me."

He glanced down at her and blinked a few times. "Sorry." He apologized as he shook his head, careful not to step on any pieces of broken asphalt that were jutting up.

"Thinking about the politicians again?" She asked as she placed a hand on his face and rubbed her thumb gently along his cheek.

Megatron smiled as he leant into her caress. "Yeah." He replied sadly. "They don't do anything anymore. It's really sad."

Oriona sighed. "I've been trying to get my dad to focus on other thing but he just tells me that I'm a stupid little femme who doesn't know anything or her place." She murmured.

Megatron growled angrily. "He doesn't know what he's talking about." He stated as he turned a corner. "You are far more intelligent than most Transformers, you're compassionate, you're, you're…." His last few words were muffled as Oriona leant up and kissed him, making him pause with one foot raised in the air. He grinned happily before he returned the kiss, lifting his hand up to hold the back of her head. They stood there for a while kissing each other until Megatron pulled back and sighed happily. "Come on you." He chuckled as he started walking again. "It's not that far now." He added.

Oriona leant her head against his chest, content for the moment. As they approached a hill, Megatron set her gently on the ground and took her hand. He smiled as he led her up the hill, waiting patiently as she stumbled to keep up with his large strides. When they reached the top, Megatron covered her optics before leading her the rest of the way. He smiled as he looked around their destination before he made her stand in front of him and uncovered her optics. Her gasp of awe was all Megatron needed to hear to know that he had chosen right.

They were surrounded by crystal trees, each one towering over all of them by at least 100 feet. They were shimmering in the pale moonlight, changing from white, to blue, then back to white as they caught the reflection of moonlight off another tree. There was a small glade in the center of the garden of crystal trees, where one of Cybertron's only sources of water bubbled up from underground and formed a small pool before running down the other side of the hill where it ran into the center of Iacon to mix with the energon fountains.

"By Primus." Oriona breathed as she walked forward and touched the trunk of a nearby tree. "How did these get here? I thought all of them were destroyed eons ago."

Megatron chuckled. "This place was preserved by some citizens that didn't want to see the last of the crystal trees lost to the every expanding walls of Iacon." He stated as he walked up behind her and placed his hand on her cheek. "It took a while for me to find out where it was exactly; they hid this place pretty well because half the city doesn't even know that this is here."

Oriona giggled as she turned towards him. "Thank you for showing me this." She cooed as she wrapped her arms around his midsection and hugged him, putting her face on his left hip since she didn't come up much higher than there. Megatron swallowed and decided to bring up one of the other reasons he had brought her here.

"I read somewhere that when two Transformers interface here, they stay connected forever and ever, never leaving each other's side no matter what happens." He stated as he stroked her head. "I heard from my dad a few years back that his parents actually mated here and they stayed together for their entire lives, even though my grandmother had a major glitch that made her weapons systems come on at the most dangerous times."

He felt Oriona freeze against him and start shaking. "What…what are you getting at?" She squeaked in terror.

Megatron gently pulled her away from him and knelt down in front of her so that their optics were level with each other. Her golden optics were filled with apprehension and fear and he smiled gently before he rubbed his thumb along her cheek. "I want you to interface with me." He whispered gently. Oriona whimpered and shook her head, but Megatron hushed her with a finger to her lips. "Oriona, I know you're afraid of everything that has to do with that level of relationships," he whispered as he stroked her cheek, "but I wouldn't be asking this if I didn't think that you weren't ready. Frag, I wouldn't ask if I wasn't ready." He laughed. Oriona giggled weakly with him until she let out a shaky breath.

"Megatron, I, I w-w-will interface with you." She stuttered as she closed her optics and a tear ran down her cheek.

Megatron frowned slightly before he brushed the tear away. "If at any time you feel too uncomfortable I'll stop, no questions asked." He stated gently as he held her head gently in his hands. Oriona nodded, tears continuing to fall.

Megatron bit his lip; had this been a bad decision? He didn't want her to think that this would be the only way to keep him with her. Frag, if she told him that she never wanted to interface in her life or bond, he would still stay with her; he loved her too much to ever hurt her. He stroked her helm, beginning to say that they weren't going to interface and that they were heading back to the school, when her hand reached out timidly as ran along the seam of his chest plate.

He blew air out heavily through his nose, moaning slightly with pleasure as she touched him. He looked down at her and smiled before leading her over to the glade. He knelt down in front of her again and gently kissed her neck, touching his tongue to the armor covering after each kiss. His hands slid along her midsection, looking for the clasps in her armor. She stiffened slightly as his fingers found the clasp and slowly unbuckled it, giving her time to adjust to it and to tell him to stop at anytime. When no objections came, he took off the armor covering and gave it a small toss to land a little ways away from them. He ran his hand along the delicate metal of her stomach, feeling the outside of her womb chamber just beneath it. She shivered under his touch, gasping slightly as his fangs dug gently into the armor on her neck. He jumped slightly as her fingers ran the entire length of his chest before settling on the clasps and undoing them. His chest and back plate came off as two separate pieces and he helped her shove them aside. He stared happily into her optics before he touched her breast plate gently, asking silently for permission. He watched as the scared look in her optics slowly began to fade away as she nodded and he purred in reply before removing it and throwing it over to the slowly increasing pile of armor.

It took a good ten minutes before they were fully exposed to each other. Megatron was marveling over the opal colours that made up her delicate frame while Oriona seemed to love the deep, rich purple that made up his. He smiled as he hovered over top of her.

"Ready?" He asked, still giving her time to change her mind.

She paused for a moment, no doubt mulling things over in her mind before she nodded.

**End Dream**

Megatron onlined his optics and smiled up at the ceiling. His spark yearned for Optimus still, but he knew one thing now if that dream, or should he say memory, was any consolation; no matter what, Optimus and he were bound to be back in on another's arms as lovers and allies once more. There was truth in those old stories of the power of the crystal trees and he had deep faith that Primus would allow him to have his old mate back. And maybe, just maybe, he could help Optimus get over all the pain he had caused her that night he hurt her.

**Author's note:** Man, that was a slight pain to write. But it was fun. Optimus dreams of when she was still falling head over heels for him while Megatron dreams of more intimate moments. Typical guy. Anyways, there is more romance on the way, as well as some complications as Side Swipe encounters Wheeljack and later Megatron. How will things turn out in the end? Stick around to find out…and I sound like one of those cartoon narrators…oh well, leave a review on the way out please! Oh, and the dance routine that Oriona was talking about, I'm picturing the "Lucky Star" dance routine XD


	17. The Second Son

Chapter 17 The Second Son

Megatron yawned as he woke up from recharge. He grinned to himself as he swung his legs out of bed and stood up. Nothing had changed much in his morning routine since he had mated with Oriona, other than the fact that she wasn't there to pounce on him in the morning and get a ride down to the lounge. He sighed as he moved his head around on his neck and lifted his arms up with his fingers intertwined to get out any kinks that had developed while he had been lying down. He gave his head a small shake before leaving his quarters and heading for the lounge.

He was always the first one up in the morning. He wasn't sure why since he was usually the last one to get into recharge at night, but it didn't matter. Most of the time, Demolisher and Starscream were up within a half hour of him; Thrust was a little slower; Tidal Wave got up almost an instant later; Sideways, well he was up whenever he felt like doing something other than grind his nerves; and Cyclonus, well, he was almost never up. He had heard Demolisher shouting at him at the top of his voice transmitter, but apparently he had just rolled over onto his side and started snoring. Everyone knew better than to interfere, and sure enough, about two minutes later Cyclonus came racing into the throne room with an axe wielding Demolisher in tow; how he had acquired one, no one had wanted to find out.

As he entered the lounge to get himself a cub of energon, he was greeted by Starscream as the smaller mech walked clean into him as the doors slid open to let him out. "Well, this is surprising." Megatron commented as Starscream backed up quickly. "You usually aren't up this early."

Starscream looked away from him. "Couldn't sleep." He muttered.

Megatron didn't need to have any other explanation. He merely nodded and walked into the lounge to get his energon. Starscream stood there for a moment longer, almost as if contemplating something before he sighed. Megatron glanced back at him to find him staring at him sadly.

"What did we do wrong?" He asked quietly.

Megatron tilted his head in confusion. "What are you talking about?" He asked in return.

"What did we do in our lives to deserve to be alone?" The red Seeker replied with a sad shake of his head. "You and I, we were good to our mates, never treated them wrong or cruelly, but then something happened that drove them from us. Why were we the ones to suffer such a fate?"

Megatron looked away from his old friend and sighed. "Who knows, Starscream." He replied. "Probably Primus is having fun sticking his fingers into our lives and making us scramble for something to hold onto. It's always the same; "Slummers" just don't get a break, not even from The Creator."

Starscream let out a weak chuckle. "So much for equal rights for all Cybertronians." He commented. "Not even Primus likes the mechs that are protoformed into poverty."

Megatron chuckled with his friend. "It's the price we pay for being created." He replied. "We shouldn't exist so why should we be allowed to have anything?"

Starscream's laugh sounded weak and forced before he turned and left the room. Megatron sighed before he collected his energon and headed for his throne room. He often forgot that Starscream had lost his mate too. Of course, he partially blamed himself; he had caused most of Starscream's anger build up that had led to the abuse of his mate. The fact that Wingdagger had never fought back was surprising since she wasn't a femme to let something like that occur and certainly not to her. Why she had simply let him hit her was enough reason to know that something had been wrong at the time. But, they probably never would find out what had caused to her act so out of character.

He walked into throne room as he finished his energon off. He saw Sideways standing beside the door and grinned maliciously before tossing the empty cube and making it land perfectly on his horn. The purple motorcycle jumped slightly before turning and glaring at him. Megatron merely snorted before he sat down in his throne. Sideways turned back to whatever he had been doing and didn't even bother to remove the cube from his horn.

He offlined his optics for a little while, trying to imagine what would happen when they won the war. Cybertron would be transformed, the rich families forced to share their wealth with the rest of the population, and all of the places that were deemed "trash mounds" would be rebuilt as something better. There wouldn't be any slum places anymore, that was for sure. No, everyone would be living in better homes and living better lives…all under his rule. No more of some stupid Prime leading the planet and letting his officials do all the work. The new age of leadership was quickly approaching and Cybertron was going to change for the better.

He wasn't sure how long it had been before he onlined his optics to find his throne room deserted. He snorted; good, he didn't like having that many mechs in here anyways. He stood up and headed over to the computer console off to the side of the room. He accessed the remote satellites that they often hacked into and got a random feed on a mountain side road. He grinned; Hot Shot and another Autobot were driving along the road, most likely on patrol. He chuckled; who did Oriona partner their son up with?

As he watched, a strange black car came speeding into view. It rammed the new Autobot clean off the road with such rage that he knew it had to be a Decepticon; no human would be dumb enough to hit another car that way. The new Autobot went rolling down the side of the cliff before the black car turned on Hot Shot. They both transformed, confirming Megatron's belief with a satisfied smirk.

"Ah, Wheeljack has decided to join us." He chuckled to himself.

He watched as the two mechs appeared to have a shouting match but since he couldn't hear what was being said, he could only guess at what the argument was about. He watched as Wheeljack lifted a gun to Hot Shot's face, no doubt snarling something. What Hot Shot did next startled him; he took Wheeljack's gun and placed it to his chest plate. Wheeljack didn't seem impressed by the display of surrender and moved his gun away. In a split second, Wheeljack fired his gun off and Hot Shot fell 

backwards with a large wound just off to the side of his spark chamber. Megatron felt the faintest bubble of pain well up in his spark as Hot Shot landed on the ground and something twisted in his fuel tank; anger.

He clenched his fists at his side before he turned off the monitor. Wheeljack was going to get it when he got to base, he was going to make sure of that.

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Wheeljack stared up at Megatron in shock. The minute he had entered the throne room, the giant mech had spun on him. No one was aware of his presence yet, which was what he wanted, but Megatron seemed to know that he was coming. His whole frame seemed to be trembling with uncontrolled rage and Wheeljack had suspected that it was because of one of the other troops. However, he was quickly corrected; it was him that Megatron was angry with.

"What was your reason for attacking the yellow Autobot?" The Decepticon tyrant asked.

Wheeljack stumbled over his words in panic. "He left me to die that day that you found me, sir." He replied. "I just wanted to pay him back for it."

Megatron glared at him before he held him by the throat. "You will not harm him outside of a battle, is that understood, soldier?" He snarled.

Wheeljack stared up at his leader in confusion. "Of course, sir." He choked out.

Megatron snorted before releasing him. "Get out of my sight." He stated as he turned around.

Wheeljack quickly scrambled to his feet and fled the throne room. He turned down a hallway and knocked a red Seeker clean off his feet, sending them both sprawling across the ground.

"Why don't you watch where you're going?!" The Seeker demanded angrily as he sat up rubbing his head.

Wheeljack glared at the Seeker. "You'd be running pretty fast too if Megatron almost offlined you." He snapped.

The Seeker smirked. "What? Barely here a day and you already got the glorious leader in a bad mood?" He sneered.

Wheeljack growled as he stood up. "Maybe you should worry less about what I do and more about what you do." He snapped before he turned and stormed down the hallway.

Starscream tilted his head before standing up. Why would Megatron have exploded on the newcomer for no reason at all? It was within his nature to snap at times, but that usually only happened when someone dear or close to him was in danger. How many times had the giant mech saved his hide 

during one of his rages? Too many to count, but that was when they were the best of friends. Now the purple tyrant didn't have any friends and his mate had left him, so who would he have left to protect? Was there something he had missed? He shook his head, dismissing the idea. Who could Megatron possibly care for? It's not like he had any sparklings, right?

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Side Swipe stood beside Optimus as she spoke with Red Alert. He had finished Hot Shot's repairs, but he was still unable to move. He felt like it was all his fault; why had he been stupid and tried to cut the Decepticon off? All it did was get him ran off a cliff and Hot Shot left to confront the enemy alone. Maybe Landmine had been right; he just wasn't cut out for the military.

"Side Swipe." Optimus' voice cut through his brooding. "Are you alright?"

He snapped his head up to meet his commander's worried optics. He didn't know why, but he wanted her to hold him tightly to her chest and help him get rid of all his fears. It was so weird, maybe it was just because she was a femme and that's what they were good at? There was just something about her, something that was calling him; he hoped he wasn't falling in love with his commander; that would be so embarrassing.

"Side Swipe?" Optimus asked again.

Side Swipe blushed up as he realized that he had been ignoring her. "Um, yes Optimus, I'm fine." He replied.

Optimus' optics narrowed slightly. "Side Swipe, if you want to talk about something, I'm here to listen." She stated gently.

Side Swipe looked into her golden optics and just wanted to collapse into tears and tell her everything. It was all his fault that Hot Shot was hurt, it always was his fault. No matter what, he did everything wrong, no matter how hard he tried. He forced himself to look away from his commander and tried to act more like a mech.

"Everything's fine Optimus." He replied. "I just…need a little bit of air. Is it ok if I go for a ride around?"

He sensed Optimus' frown behind her face mask and heard her sigh gently. "Ok, you can go Side Swipe." She replied before she placed her hand gently on his cheek, startling him. "Just be careful. I don't want to lose you to the Decepticons." Side Swipe turned to look at her in confusion and her optics twinkled sadly. "You are young, Side Swipe, and a perfect target for someone like Megatron. He'll try anything to get a soldier that he can easily mold into a Decepticon warrior. Just be careful."

Side Swipe nodded before he turned and left. He reached the exterior of the base and transformed into his alt mode. He took off across the desert sand, letting the cool night air calm his unexplainable emotions. Why should he be so drawn to Optimus like someone had stuck super-powerful magnets in their chests without telling them? It didn't make any sense. And why would Optimus be so worried about him? Did she know about his weak background? The younger of a set of twins and unable to do half the things the other cadets could do? Did she think that he was weak and needed the extra guarding? Maybe she did, or maybe it was just something in a femme's code to protect younglings at all cost. How many of the adult femmes on the base back home had coddled him and the other cadets? It mustn't have been anything new right?

He had been so wrapped up in his thoughts that he hadn't heard the Decepticon warp sequence sound behind him or hear the sound of a very large vehicle begin to chase him across the sand. It wasn't until he was knocked end over end that he realized with a sickening jolt that Megatron had found him. He transformed quickly and spun around to face the tyrant.

Blood red optics burned into his innocent blue ones and he felt suddenly so small and weak. Megatron could simply crush him between his hands if he so desired and the most he could do in defense was give a small squeak of despair. He wished he had stayed with Optimus; why couldn't he ever make the right decisions? He closed his optic shutters tightly and waited for Megatron to finish him off. He missed Megatron's hesitation and the tilt of his head that meant he was listening to something. However, he did hear the soft rhythms and pulses of another spark in his mind and it was right in tempo with his own, just as his twins had always been. He froze before his optics flew open and he stared up at Megatron with even more horror. That could only mean one thing; he was related to Megatron.

Megatron took a step forward and Side Swipe fell right onto his aft. He tried scrambling away from the purple giant of a mech, but the desert sand beneath him made that almost impossible. He whimpered as Megatron squatted down in front of him and lifted his chin up to look into his optics. He seemed to be looking for something and Side Swipe was very close to screaming at the top of his voice transmitter in fear.

"What is your name, youngling?" Megatron asked.

Side Swipe could only whimper. His voice was terrifying and he didn't know how to react. They were always told that they only ever gave their name to the enemy and nothing else, but what if they were too scared to answer? He didn't want to answer; he didn't want him to know what his name was. His fear must have been blindingly obvious because the next instant, gently, calming pulses were radiating around his spark. He closed his optic shudders and let out a slow breath; it was nice and he felt safe. One of Megatron's fingers slid along his cheek gently, almost as if he truly wanted him to calm down and not be so afraid.

"What is your name, youngling?" Megatron asked again, softer this time.

"Side Swipe." He replied, his voice shaking slightly.

Megatron let out a small snort, almost like an approval. "You look a lot like your mother use to." He chuckled.

Side Swipe tilted his head curiously; Landmine had always withheld information about their origins to him and his brother. "What do you mean?" He asked.

Megatron chuckled gently. "You have the same innocent look to you that she once had." He replied gently, something Side Swipe had never believed he was capable of doing. "But, enough talk. You are returning to base with me so that you can get better training." He added in his usual tone before he stood up.

Side Swipe stared up at him in shock. Return to the Decepticon base? With Megatron? Why would he even waste his time with a scrap heap like him? And besides, he was an Autobot so he wouldn't go with Megatron.

"No." Side Swipe stated as he tried to back up again.

Megatron tilted his slightly. "Excuse me?"

"I'm not going with you." Side Swipe replied. Megatron started laughing at that point and Side Swipe scrambled to his feet and tried to run for it, only to have Megatron's hand close around his arm and snap him backwards.

"Let me explain something to you, Side Swipe." Megatron growled. "When I say something, I mean it. There is no bargaining your way out of it, understood?"

Side Swipe struggled against the larger mech. "I'm not a Decepticon!"

"It's in your tubes and spark to be one." Megatron whispered. "You've always been aware of it, you were just too afraid to admit it."

"You're wrong!" Side Swipe screamed in terror as he continued to struggle. "Let me go!"

"Do as he says, Megatron." Optimus' voice cut through the air.

Megatron released him so fast that he fell face first into the sand. He coughed as he raised himself onto his hands and knees and looked behind him. Megatron was walking towards Optimus, whispering something to her. Optimus' optics had enlarged and her chest was rising and falling quickly as her intakes increased. Side Swipe didn't understand what was going on, but he didn't like what Megatron was doing. He leapt to his feet and charged at the larger mech. Megatron must have heard him coming because he whipped around and grabbed him by the remains of his scruff bar and hoisted him up into the air.

"Well, what do you know?" Megatron laughed. "He's already learnt the typical Autobot idiot move of charging."

"Put him down Megatron." Optimus ordered, her voice suddenly cold. "Or I swear to Primus I'm going to blast you all the way back to your base."

Megatron laughed somewhere behind Side Swipe before tossing him at Optimus' feet. Optimus immediately dropped down to catch him and pull him away from Megatron. "You won't be able to keep him forever, Optimus." Megatron stated as his warp sequence initiated. "He'll return to me one day."

As Megatron faded away, Side Swipe clung to Optimus' arm and started crying. He heard Optimus making gently cooing noises and she was rubbing his back reassuringly. It was during that quiet moment that Side Swipe felt her spark pulsating in tempo with his own. He bolted straight up and looked into her optics in shock. Her optics softened sadly before she stroked his helm.

"I guess you realize everything now?" She asked.

"You're…you're my mom?" He asked as his mind started racing. "And Megatron's my dad. But how is that possible? You're enemies!"

Optimus sighed sadly. "We were once lovers, Side Swipe, but I left when I was forced to bond with him. That's how…Hot Shot was conceived." She murmured.

"Hot Shot's my brother!?"

"Yes. Your older brother. Side Swipe, I'm sorry I didn't keep you. I just wanted you and Ironhide to be safe and far away from the war that was waging around us. Guess it didn't turn out the way I had planned." She sighed sadly.

Side Swipe's mind was reeling with the new information, but a part of him didn't like Optimus being miserable about everything. He wrapped his arms around her chest and hugged her tightly. "Don't be so upset, Mom. You did what you thought was right. It just turned out that the military was my calling, along with Ironhide."

"I'm afraid that would be a trait of Megatron's; he never could resist a fight." Optimus sighed.

Side Swipe bit his lip. "Megatron said that I reminded him of you." He whispered.

Optimus chuckled as she lifted his head up to stare into her optics. "That's a good thing, isn't it?" She asked with a grin in her optics.

Side Swipe laughed as he helped his commander and mother to her feet. "Yeah. Can we get back to base now?" He asked, wanting to go and collapse on his recharge bed to process everything.

Optimus nodded before she transformed into her alt mode and revved her engine. Side Swipe grinned as he transformed and took off back towards the base. "Race ya!" He heard Optimus laugh behind him before her engine revved loudly and she chased after him.


	18. Desertion

Chapter 18 Desertion

Optimus grinned as she watched Hot Shot's optics come online. "How are you doing?" She asked as she gently stroked his helm.

He grinned weakly up at her before sighing. "Slightly…broken." He replied sadly.

"What happened in the past was not your fault, Hot Shot." She stated softly. "You did your best to try to save your friend. At least you tried to rescue him and he is alive."

"But, Megatron got to him first." Hot Shot growled as he balled his fist. "And he turned him into…."

"Hot Shot, do not blame yourself for that." She murmured gently.

"If I had stayed with him, he wouldn't be with them."

"You wouldn't be here either if you had remained behind. For all you know, you could have both been melted down by the flames." Optimus replied sternly. "If your friend wants to hold a grudge because you couldn't rescue him no matter how hard you tried, he wasn't a very good friend to begin with."

Hot Shot wouldn't meet her optics as he nodded. "I'll…I'll take your word for it." He murmured.

Optimus smiled as she helped her son into a sitting position. He held onto her hand tightly before he spotted Side Swipe standing a little bit off to the side. He immediately let go and tried to stand up.

"Whoa!" Side Swipe yelped as he started waving his arms and tried to get Hot Shot to sit back down. "Don't strain yourself bro!"

"Bro?" Hot Shot asked, figuring it was something he had picked up off of Rad and Carlos.

"Yeah, considering we have the same parents, I figured, why not call you what you are?"

Hot Shot froze as his mouth opened in shock. "What?" He demanded as he glared at Optimus. "What is he talking about?"

"Do you remember the twins that I had to send away?" She asked gently as she sat down beside him. "Side Swipe is one of the them."

Hot Shot's mouth opened in shock. "Are you serious? He's my little brother?!"

Side Swipe's face fell slightly as he listened to Hot Shot's tone of voice. "Is that a bad thing?" He asked.

Hot Shot spun around quickly. "No! I mean, it's a good thing that you are my little brother, just wish we could have met before we came to Earth. Might be safer."

"I only have to worry about Dad getting his hands on me." Side Swipe replied.

"Isn't Jetfire your dad?" Hot Shot asked.

Side Swipe frowned. "Um, no. Megatron is…unfortunately." He replied.

Hot Shot's face went blank for a moment before he spun on Optimus. "What?" He hissed. "I thought that Jetfire was…." He started to growl.

"You merely jumped to that conclusion." Optimus replied sternly. "Hot Shot, I have never bonded with Jetfire, ever. In spite of how much I would love to see Megatron defeated, it's difficult to get over everything that we had." She looked away ashamed. "I missed him, more than I ever should have."

Hot Shot growled. "So, you're telling me that Side Swipe and his twin were conceived from a WILLING bond?" He snapped.

"Hot Shot, look, I don't like it any more than you do." Side Swipe chirped as he tried to stop a full-out fight from occurring. "But we've never experienced anything remotely related to love. How are we supposed to understand what we've never known?"

Hot Shot glared at him, his chest heaving as he tried to cool down his heated systems. Side Swipe had a point; he never had loved anyone other than Optimus and that wasn't even the right type. Optimus and Megatron, no matter how much he hated to admit it, had been so in love that it made her current relationship with Jetfire seem like puppy-love. It must be hard to look at him and still see him as the enemy, even after all these years. But, why were Side Swipe and Ironhide allowed to be born from a willing bond while he had to be conceived from a forced one? Shouldn't he have been the one that had that sort of luck? Shouldn't he have been the one to show the result of their love instead of Optimus' weakness in the face of her enemy? He sighed; there wasn't much he could do, but he knew that Optimus would have rather having him on good terms with her mate rather than as an enemy with him. He couldn't change the past and neither could Optimus, so why should he dwell on it and become angry with the being that had looked after him with all her spark, even when she should have been doing her Prime duties? Simple, he shouldn't.

"Sorry." He murmured as he looked over at Optimus. "I shouldn't have gotten mad at you."

Optimus' optics twinkled softly as she reached over and hugged him. "Don't fret about it." She murmured.

There was a deep chuckle and everyone jumped. "Did I interrupt something?" Jetfire's voice asked.

"No, Jetfire." Optimus sighed as she stood up. "You didn't."

Side Swipe backed up slightly until he was standing beside Hot Shot. He liked Jetfire, sure, but he didn't want to be anywhere near him if Optimus decided to tell him about his origins. Jetfire walked over to Optimus like neither he nor Hot Shot were in the room and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"So, they wouldn't mind if I just started kissing you right here?" Jetfire asked.

"Eww," Side Swipe commented without thinking.

Jetfire glanced at him and there was a twinkle in his optics that showed he was smiling behind his face mask. "Well, you can tell which youngling has never been in a relationship before." He laughed.

Side Swipe glared at him before he stuck out his glossa. All he earned was a cackle from Jetfire. The shuttle mech removed his face mask and tried to get Optimus' off too, however, Optimus made it quite clear that she didn't want her face mask off. It was Side Swipe's turn to snicker as Jetfire leapt back to avoid her back-hand.

"Optimus!" Red Alert shouted over the com-link. "We've got trouble!"

"What do you mean?" Optimus asked as she touched her helm to activate her com-link.

"We've got Decepticons in the woods nearby looking for a Minicon." Red Alert replied. "What are your orders?"

"Everyone, head into the woods for a counterattack. Smokescreen, you stay behind and guard the Requiem Blaster Minicons." She replied. "Come on mechs, we have work to do." She stated to the three mechs standing in the room with her.

"Right!" They all chimed as they raced off to the warp room.

Red Alert was punching in the codes with Blur when they arrived. A quick nod was all they needed to know that they were to activate the warp sequence. As they stepped through and rematerialized in a small grove of trees, Optimus ordered everyone to hide amongst them and not to make a sound. They crouched down in the limbs of the trees, waiting for the Decepticons to turn up. Hot Shot kept moving anxiously, really wanting to get in a fight, and everyone pretty much told him to stop moving. Just as he started to calm down, Starscream zoomed by overhead, the Starsaber sword glowing brightly in his hand.

"Come on out and face your doom, Autobots!" He shouted as he streaked across the sky.

"What's his problem?" Hot Shot demanded.

"He thinks he's invincible because he holds the Starsaber." Optimus replied. "Which, is technically correct."

"Great." Jetfire groaned. "Well, I'll go deal with him." He added as he went to go take off.

Optimus grabbed his foot and yanked him back to the ground. "Don't you dare move." She hissed. "Wait until he wears himself out with all that flying around." She added as she watched him. "With the Starsaber sword in his possession, you couldn't possibly take him on alone."

"You're doubting me?" Jetfire demanded.

"No, Jetfire, I'm being realistic." Optimus replied as she watched Starscream flying around, screaming at them to come out and face him. "He isn't easy to take down without the Starsaber; with it, it would be like trying to take down Megatron."

"You sure do have a lot of respect for that slagger." Jetfire growled.

"He isn't someone to take lightly, Jetfire." She replied in annoyance. "You have to keep your guard up at all times because he fights dirty."

Jetfire let out a small growl before glaring up at Starscream, who had currently stopped moving. "What's the matter Autobots, you too scared to face me?" Starscream sneered. "Or are you feeling like a bunch of little femmes who are too high and mighty to fight someone as low as me?"

Optimus flinched badly at that comment. Everyone other than Scavenger gave her confused looks, but she just shook her head. Her gaze never left Starscream as he continued to rant above them. She didn't twitch as he started hurling insults directly against her or any of the others, although the others were starting to get agitated. While the others began to snarl about tearing him limb from limb, she knew that it was just the fact that he had one of the most powerful weapons in the galaxy in his hand that he was acting so cocky. At least, it was that way until he said something that made her circuits burn in absolute hatred.

"I bet half of the glitches you have on your team are all of Prime's sparklings." He sneered. "After all; like mother like daughter."

"Oh, now that's stepping too far." She growled as her body trembled in rage.

"Easy Optimus." Scavenger stated as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "He doesn't know any better."

"He's so lucky Wingdagger is waiting for him." She growled. "I am this close to pounding him into scrap for that comment."

"And you were telling me to calm down." Jetfire chided.

"Shut up Jetfire."

Just after she said that, Starscream fired on the grove of trees where they were hiding, forcing them out into the open to avoid getting hit. "I should have known that you cowards would be hiding." He sneered as he smirked.

"That's rich coming from you, Starscream." Blur snapped.

Starscream snarled before he dove at them while taking his own sword into his other hand. Everyone scattered and Starscream landed heavily on the ground with a snarl. "So, who wants to be terminated first?" He asked. He turned on Side Swipe, who had tripped and landed with a painful thud. "How about you, shorty?" He sneered as he whipped the Starsaber up before diving at Side Swipe.

Optimus felt her fuel pump cease functioning as everything seemed to slow down to a painful crawl. She watched helplessly as Starscream's arm began the downward arc to slice open Side Swipe's body. Then, the next thing she knew, Starscream was flying backwards away from her son with a yelp. She blinked before she looked back at Side Swipe and saw that he had pulled his gun out at the last second and shot Starscream away from him. She let out a shaky burst of air before turning her attention back to the groaning Seeker.

"Nice trick, Autoscum." He hissed. "But it won't save you."

Optimus took a step forward. "What is the point in fighting us, Starscream?" She asked. "Haven't you noticed that you're all alone? That the other Decepticons have left?"

Starscream stumbled to his feet, his optics widening slightly. "You're…you're lying!" He snapped. "They're just waiting for the right moment to move in and kill you all!"

Optimus sighed before Scavenger continued. "Starscream, they aren't coming for you." He stated evenly. "You're in this one by yourself and they're busy laughing at you."

"You're lying!" He shouted as he lunged at them, swinging the Starsaber around in desperation. "You don't know anything!"

Scavenger easily grabbed his wrists and flipped him over his back and onto the ground. Starscream let out a gasp of pain before striking out with his foot and catching the old mech in the stomach. The large green mech stumbled backwards and Starscream shot up into the air. He hovered above them panting, his optics bright in terror as he began to understand what was going on.

"Cy-cyclonus! Demolisher! Thrust! Tidal Wave!" He shouted desperately, his voice an octave higher than normal. "I'm in need of assistance!" He added as he turned his head around as he searched for the others. "Someone? ANYONE?!"

"Poor mech." Optimus murmured as she watched her old friend search desperately for the help that wasn't coming.

"Optimus!" Smokescreen's voice shouted over the com-link. "The Decepticons are in the base! I repeat, the Decepticons are in the base!"

Optimus felt her fuel tank freeze up again. "Stay hidden!" She ordered. "Keep the Minicons with you and don't let yourself be found by the Decepticons." She added before she turned to the others. "We have to head back to base to protect Smokescreen." She stated.

"What about Starscream?" Side Swipe asked as he looked up at the Seeker who was now shouting at the sky for assistance.

"We will have to leave him." She replied gently. "There isn't anything that we can do about him."

Everyone nodded in agreement as a clap of thunder echoed around them and rain started falling from the heavens. Optimus felt her spark constrict in her chest; something bad was going to happen today, she could feel. She felt herself get warped back into the base just as shouts of victory went up. She took off running, pulling a gun out of her subspace for extra assistance, just in case. She could hear the shouting of the deep, cruel voices of the Decepticons and the determined voice of Smokescreen as he obviously tried to deny them something.

Just as she took one more corner, Smokescreen was blasted through the wall beside her, smashed into her, and both of them smashed into the opposite wall. She groaned slightly as Smokescreen coughed above her. She could feel the energon leaking over her from some of his wounds and she knew that Megatron hadn't had any trouble finding him. She touched his arm slightly, letting him know that she was there, before gently moving him off of her and standing up. She turned around and met the business end of the Requiem Blaster.

"Well, well, well, Optimus," Megatron sneered, "it would appear that I have you cornered."

Optimus inhaled slightly. "Not necessarily." She replied as she aimed a wrist cannon at his midsection. "You fire and so will I."

Megatron chuckled as he moved the Requiem Blaster away from her face. "Oh Optimus, don't you get it? It's not you that I'm worried about shooting." He stated evenly as Smokescreen shifted behind her and suddenly lunged at him from around her protective stance. "It's him."

Optimus didn't react fast enough to hit the Blaster out of his hands before he pulled the trigger. The explosion that she had expected from him firing at such close range never occurred; instead, the beam of energy slammed into Smokescreen's midsection and blasted him backwards. He smashed into the wall as Megatron slid backwards slightly from the recoil and Optimus could only watch in terror as the beam didn't dissipate. The beam started eating into his armor until it had blasted a hole through his stomach. Megatron's laughter rang around her as Smokescreen slumped to the ground, energon pooling around him like water from a faucet. She turned on her mate with a roar of hatred as he began to vanish and all she managed to accomplish was swiping at thin air as he smirked triumphantly.

"Optimus." Smokescreen choked out.

She spun around on the dying soldier and fell to her knees beside him, offering him the only comfort that she could. "Smokescreen, you tried your hardest to protect the Minicons." She stated gently as she stroked his helm as his colours started to fade away.

"Wish my plan to protect you had worked out better." He wheezed.

Optimus smiled sadly as the others raced up behind her. "You didn't need to do that." She stated gently. "But thank you for the thought."

Smokescreen smiled back as energon leaked out of the corner of his mouth. "You're…wel..come." He murmured as his optics went out slowly and his colours drained away.

Optimus felt tears leak out of her optics as she brought a hand up to her head in a final salute to the brave warrior. "May Primus guide your spark to the Matrix." She murmured sadly. She heard the others give him salutes as well. "You're going to pay for this Megatron." She added to herself as Red Alert picked up the lifeless corpse of their comrade. "You're going to pay."

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Starscream panted as he entered the warp room of the Decepticon base. He was soaking wet after his panic attack in the rain. He had been all alone with the Autobots, alone without any back-up. Not even the Starsaber sword could have saved him if they had all decided to concentrate their attack on him; he would have been killed easily. He dragged his feet along behind him as he headed towards the throne room to confront Megatron about abandoning him.

He walked in as Cyclonus laughed at something. Megatron was holding the Requiem Blaster in his hand and grinning like an idiot. "Ah! Starscream." He chuckled as he spotted him. "I see you made it back in one piece." Starscream nodded as his grip on the Starsaber tightened slightly. Megatron noted it and grinned. "Not that I'm surprised." He added.

Starscream snorted before he glanced at the Requiem Blaster. "I'm…glad that I distracted the Autobots long enough for you to retrieve the Requiem Blaster." He stated coldly.

Megatron chuckled again as he placed the handle against his shoulder. "Yes, you did a very good job." He replied before waving a hand at everyone. "You're dismissed." He added.

Starscream turned quickly and left the room, heading for the washracks to warm up after the bath in freezing cold rainwater. He didn't want to be bothered, so he locked the door behind him as he entered the room. He gave the order to the Starsaber Minicons to disconnect before he stepped into the special washracks that not only cleaned them, but healed minor injuries to their armor and replenished their energy levels.

He let out a sigh of contentment as he felt the energy run over his body and heal him. It was nice, almost like gentle hands massaging him all over his aching body. The Autobot youngling's gun had done more damage to him than he had let on, as did Scavenger flipping him over like he was a ragdoll, but he couldn't let that show. He was the Decepticon SIC, he had to be strong and unrelenting at all times, otherwise everyone would just walk all over him. He let out another sigh before he heard several curious chirps near the entrance to the washrack. He powered his optics back up, not even realizing that he had turned them off, and grinned slightly at the three curious faces of Jetstorm, Runway, and Sonar.

He shook his head gently. "No, I'm fine, it's not harming me." He replied before he made a beckoning gesture. "Come on you three; you need to heal up too." He added gently.

The three Minicons chirped before climbing onto the platform. They huddled around his legs, rubbing each other's arms as the energy radiated against their armor. He smiled; they were the closest thing he would ever get to having sparklings around him. They were chirping in contentment, enjoying the feeling of the "bath" as it subtly repaired them. Sonar looked up at him and chirped happily before hugging his leg, his "brothers" following his lead. He was slightly surprised, but his smile widened as they chirped happily at him.

"What are they, pets?" Demolisher demanded from the doorway.

Starscream snapped his head up and glared at the intruder. "No, dumbaft, they are like sparklings…incredibly powerful sparklings." He stated coldly. "What do you want?"

"Megatron wants the Minicons back." He replied as he took another step forward.

Starscream stepped forward, blocking the Minicons from view and grabbed the sides of the washrack before growling. "I'll bring them back when they are ready." He stated dangerously. "Get out."

Demolisher glared at him before turning around and walking out of the room. Starscream growled before he knelt down beside the fearfully chirping Minicons. He let out soft coos of reassurance before he stroked each of their helms gently. "Don't worry; he won't hurt you." He stated, although he felt his spark clench painfully at the thought of handing the closest thing to sparklings that he had ever had, other than Swindle, over to the brute that was prone to violence.

They chirped sadly before they hopped off of the platform and waited for him to follow. He sighed again before he walked off the platform and headed towards the throne room. He walked as slowly as he dared to; trying to drag out the time that he had left with the little mechs. As he came to the entrance to the throne room, he backed up and placed his back against the wall, focusing his audios on the voices floating out of the room.

"And he truly believes that we were waiting for him to return!" Thrust's voice rang out. "That fool doesn't realize that it was a set up!"

Megatron's cold chuckle reverberated around him. "Starscream doesn't believe that anyone would truly leave him behind." He replied. "He always trusts a little too much."

Thrust sniggered and Starscream clenched his fists in rage. "Just wait until he gets here! Then you can eradicate his worthless existence!"

Starscream didn't even wait for Megatron to respond before he gave the signal to the three Minicons with him to link up. He leapt out in front of the doorway, his breathing heavy with rage. He heard Megatron greet him, but he only glared at his leader, hatred oozing out of his optics. Megatron tilted his head back slightly, unsure, no doubt, of what to make of his actions. With a cry of hatred he rushed forward, slicing at Megatron with the Starsaber sword. With speed he never remembered the larger mech having, Megatron moved just in time to avoid getting sliced open.

"What is the meaning of this, Starscream?" He demanded as he rounded on him.

"That, oh glorious leader, was for leaving me to get gutted by the Autobots!" Starscream snarled before he lunged at him again.

Megatron once again moved out of the way just in time. He snarled as he aimed a kick to Starscream's unguarded back and sent the Seeker flying forward, crashing to the ground in pain. He was quickly on his feet again as he heard the tell-tale sounds of Megatron's side-gun charging. He didn't bother waiting around to see if Megatron would shoot him; he raced out of the throne room towards the warp room and quickly punched in the co-ordinates for a location close to the Autobot base. He knew that he didn't have any choice; if he wanted his revenge on Megatron, he would have to temporarily side with his enemy to execute such a scheme. He leapt onto the platform and warped away just as Tidal Wave charged into the room. He knew that he would have to run now if he wanted to stay alive.

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Optimus frowned as she watched Starscream appear on the monitor. The moment his feet hit the Earth, he had taken off running and a second later, Tidal Wave had appeared. Hot Shot, Side Swipe, and Jetfire had already left to intercept the Decepticons, but something was off about everything. Starscream wouldn't be running if he could help it; he preferred to fly everywhere as the sky was his domain. So why would he be running? Or better yet, why would he have that slightly fearful look on his face-plate that meant he was in trouble?

She watched as Hot Shot slammed into Starscream, sending them both flying backwards towards Tidal Wave. Hot Shot was snarling something at Starscream, but he obviously wasn't listening because he grabbed the younger mech's arm and pulled him behind an outcrop of rock as Tidal Wave began to fire on them. That was when she knew something was up. She nodded once before she headed to the warp room and quickly headed over to where her mechs and Starscream where.

She was almost hit by several lasers from Tidal Wave as she materialized and quickly hid behind an outcrop of rock. "Optimus! You shouldn't be here!" Hot Shot stated as he and Starscream slid up beside her.

She looked directly at Starscream and narrowed her optics. "What is going on?" She demanded.

"I attacked Megatron." Starscream replied blandly. "This is an attempt to either destroy me or capture me to bring back to Megatron so he can finish me off."

Optimus felt her head fall forward. "You…you really know how to stir up trouble." She muttered before she dared to peek around the rock. As a result, she almost got hit in the face by several lasers, but now she knew that Tidal Wave was closer to them. "We need to get out of here now." She stated as Jetfire and Side Swipe raced up to them.

"But do we get past tall, evil, and ugly?" Jetfire asked as he pointed in the general direction of Tidal Wave. "I don't think he's going to let us get away that easy."

Optimus nodded before Starscream tapped her shoulder. She looked back at him and he held out the Starsaber, surprising everyone. "Use this." He replied evenly.

Optimus took the sword with a small nod. "I'm going to need a little cover…fire?" She started to say before the lasers vanished. Side Swipe peeked over the top of the rock and his mouth fell open.

"He's gone!"

Everyone tilted their head in confusion before the warp sequence was activated and they were all warped back to the Autobot base. "Well that was…unexpected." Optimus commented as they materialized in the warp room. She turned to Starscream, who had his head down at the moment, and cleared her throat. "Tell me Starscream, what possessed you to attack Megatron."

He looked up at her, barely meeting her optics. "He abandoned me at the last battle." He replied quietly, no doubt extremely terrified about being in the Autobot base. "And he was planning on destroying me with the Starsaber sword after I returned it."

Optimus sighed slightly before shaking her head. "I suppose you want to join us for the time being?" She asked. Even as Starscream nodded, the others let out shouts of disagreement.

"Optimus, you can't really trust him?" Hot Shot demanded.

"And why not?" She asked evenly, slowly growing annoyed with his constant questioning of her beliefs.

"He's a Decepticon! This could all be a set up!" Jetfire stated as he glared at the smaller Seeker.

Optimus narrowed her optics. "Until Starscream does something to counteract his loyalties, he is an Autobot and our comrade, understand?" She stated coldly.

Side Swipe looked nervously at Starscream, but nodded. "Ok, if you think we can trust him." He stated before leaving. Hot Shot and Jetfire let out similar grumbles before leaving as well.

"You didn't have to do that." Starscream murmured quietly.

"You are a member of this team now, Starscream." She replied as she reached out and touched his shoulder. "They will grow accustomed to seeing you and will accept you."

Starscream laughed hollowly. "Somehow, I doubt that." He replied softly.

Optimus smiled behind her face mask before holding the Starsaber out to him. "Here, take this with you. Something tells me you have a better connection with the Minicons than the rest of us." She stated.

Starscream's face lit up instantly as he took the sword and gave the order for the Minicons to dissemble. "Thank you." He murmured before he made optic contact with her. "And…I'm sorry for what I said before…about you being a glitch and all the femmes being that too. I was just caught in the moment."

She closed her optic shutters and nodded her head. "I am fully aware of that Starscream; it didn't sound right coming out of your mouth to begin with. Come on; I'll show you to your quarters." She stated before turning and leaving the room.

**Author's note:** And a hundred years later I get this chapter finished! Pain in the aft to type up! Anyways, Starscream is now amongst the Autobots and I will be able to have a lot of fun with this! And notice how Starscream never heard Megatron's reply to Thrust's statement? I'll leave it up to you to decide if Megatron would have really killed Starscream. Before you leave, please leave a review. Much appreciated! Thank you!


	19. Talking Again

Chapter 19 Talking Again

Chapter 19 Talking Again

She knew that Starscream's presence in the base would cause trouble. But, she wasn't expecting them to completely disrespect him, especially not in front of her. She had made it clear that she trusted Starscream without a doubt, so she trusted that they would trust her judgment, however, that wasn't the case.

"You can't trust a Seeker." Blur hissed as he glared at Starscream. "None of them; they all turned their backs on Cybertron to side with Megatron."

Optimus' back stiffened angrily as she turned towards him. "Blur, the Seekers did not turn their backs on Cybertron." She stated calmly. "They wanted changes, something that the Autobots wouldn't do."

"They still should have stayed with their planet rather than siding with that traitor!" Blur snarled.

"None of them wanted anything to do with the Autobots." She replied, her fuming optics rested solely on him. "They all wanted changes made so that they could have some respect."

Blur glared at her before growling. "And you know all about respect." He snapped.

Optimus narrowed her optics as she continued to glare at him. "Yes, I do. And I will let Wingdagger know what you think about her." She snapped.

Blur's optics widened slightly in shock before snorting. "Well, she did start out as a Decepticon." He replied.

Optimus growled before she turned on Jetfire. "Why aren't you saying anything?!" She hissed. "You're a Seeker!"

"No, I'm a shuttle." Jetfire replied with a snort. "We are two separate models and therefore do not share the same views."

Optimus let out another growl before she spun on her heels and stormed out of the rec room. She felt her body shaking in fury as she stormed down the hallway, heading for the Command center. Two different models, who cares?! They both flew through the air, so they should have similar feelings towards things. Frag, tanks and car Transformers shared the same freaking roads and they got along better than shuttles and Seekers! But, obviously, "shuttles" thought that sludge didn't stick to their exhaust pipe. Seekers were almost never that…ok, Flamewar always thought she was the best, but that was because she was Starscream's cousin and Thundercracker's femmefriend, and Thundercracker always had been a little crazy, but that was what had made them such amazing mechs and femmes; they were each unique, not the standard "I'm the greatest thing ever, bow at my feet you stupid little nobody" type that the Autobots' seemed to keep breeding. She walked into the control room, still focused on her thoughts, when the communicator went off.

She accessed the control panel quickly. "Optimus Prime here." She stated as she got the screen working.

"Hey! Looking good my friend!" Wingdagger laughed as she came into focus. Her red optics twinkled in mirth. "My, you look very angry…what spit in your energon?"

Optimus went to reply when the door to the room opened. She turned to see who was coming in and bit her lip as Starscream walked in. He stopped slightly as Wingdagger went rigid on the screen.

"What the FRAG is HE doing here?!" She hissed angrily.

"I've defected." Starscream replied coldly.

"Bull-slag!" She snapped. "You told Megatron when you followed him that you were loyal to him 'till the end!"

Starscream growled. "That was up until he started leaving me behind on the battlefield to die!" He snarled in return.

"Oh? Suddenly don't like to be the punching-beg?" She sneered. "I could tell you all about that."

Starscream's jaw clenched before he looked down. "Wingdagger…I swear…Primus I swear to you, I never meant to hurt you." He murmured as he looked up at the screen. He frowned before he glared at Optimus. "Could you give us a minute?" He asked a little coldly.

Optimus shook her head. "Sorry, can't leave the control panel." She replied as she crossed her fingers behind her back.

Starscream growled a little before he looked back at Wingdagger. Her optics were softer but still full of hatred for her mate. The red Seeker's orange optics seemed to fill with desperation as he took a step forward. "Wingdagger," he whispered, "please, please, forgive me."

"Why should I?" She demanded as her optics narrowed. "You could have made me lose the sparkling, you fraghead!"

Starscream winced, taking a couple of steps backwards. "Wingdagger," he whispered. He looked down at his feet, his wings drooping sadly behind him. "Dag…I swear…I swear I never meant to hurt you."

Wingdagger's optics softened. "Then why did you hit me?" She asked, her voice heavy with pain. "Why did you do that to me, when you knew that I was carrying our sparkling?"

Starscream looked up at her before letting his head fall forward and slumping his shoulders. "Because you wouldn't fight back." He whispered. Wingdagger's optics widened in shock and rage. "I know it was cowardly." He sniffled. "And I really can't blame you for hating me, but…Wingdagger…frag, I love you so much, sparkling." He added as he lifted his head up to look at her. "I swear, Primus, I swear that I would never, EVER do that in a right state of mind!"

Wingdagger looked away, her optics filled with tears of pain. "Starscream…frag…I just can't stay angry with you." She whispered as she looked back at him, a soft smile in her optics. "Frag it, sparkling, you haven't changed much." She giggled as a stray tear ran down her face mask.

Optimus looked away, pretending to be interested with a fly on the wall. "Dag…maybe…would you be willing to give me another chance?" Starscream asked softly.

"Yeah." Wingdagger replied with a giggle. "Oh! I probably should tell you this before you get tackled by him. We have another sparkling beside our first one."

Optimus heard the crash and looked back to see Starscream sprawled out on the ground. "WHAT?!"

"You know that time we were both shot out of the sky, had our chest plates blasted off, and ended up landing on each other? And spark bonded?" Wingdagger giggled.

Optimus tried not to groan at that memory. The fact that the both of them had ended up with their sparks exposed when they crashed onto the ground had been odd, and she personally suspected that they had planned it somehow. Even where their chest plates had been shot off was too clean a shot and too perfectly detached to have been unprepared.

Starscream grinned as he sat up. "Yeah, I remember that." He chuckled.

"Well, I found out a few days later that I was carrying a sparkling." Wingdagger finished. "He's all grown up now." She added with a twinkle of her optics.

"He…it was a mech?" Starscream asked.

"Yup…but he's in a different base." She added with a sigh. "Little guy's got a brilliant mind, obviously from you, but he's such a pessimist." She chuckled.

"What did you name him?" Starscream asked gently as he walked up to the terminal.

"Scattershot." She replied proudly.

Starscream's grin widened. "Scattershot…I like it." He chuckled. "You always were good at coming up with names." He purred.

Optimus bit back her groan as she heard her old friend return the purr. "Keep your plating on, Wingdagger." She stated calmly.

"Aww, you're not any fun Pax." Wingdagger teased with a chuckle.

"What?!" Starscream yelped as he spun on her. "Pax?! As in Oriona Pax?! As in Megatron's mate?!"

Optimus groaned before she slammed her face into her hand. "Yes, Starscream, that Oriona Pax. But please, keep your voice down."

Starscream stood gawking at her before he stumbled backwards, his hand grasping the computer terminal, his chest rising and falling in panic. "Slag, how could our biggest enemy be you?!"

"Very simple; apparently, I was the best candidate for Prime." She replied as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Now, please calm down Starscream, before one of my men believes that you are a threat to me."

Starscream was still gawking at her as Wingdagger burst out laughing. "You...you should see your face!" She roared as she vanished from sight as she doubled over. "Oh, Starscream, I'm sorry, but it's just too funny!"

Optimus joined in her friend's laughter. "Reminds me of that time you dropped down on top of him and pretended to be dead." She chuckled.

"That wasn't funny!" Starscream snarled as he stood up straight, towering over top of her by at least two feet.

"Calm down Starscream." Optimus chuckled gently. "I was only comparing your expression to that incident; I also believed that the stunt was unneeded, but try telling that to Wingdagger."

"Hey, I resent that!" Wingdagger remarked. "What?" She demanded as she turned to talk with someone off screen. "Oh whatever! Fine, fine, you big sparkling! Geez, it's not like I'm wasting any of your time! We haven't been on a battlefield in months!" She seemed to pause for a moment. "Oh shut up!" She snapped before she spun around. "Sorry Prime, got to go; boss is being a tube." She remarked darkly.

Both Optimus and Starscream let out snorts of laughter as they waved good-bye. As the screen turned off, Optimus leant on Starscream's arm as they tried to remain standing. Hot Shot and Jetfire entered at that moment and their jaw hit the ground as they watched the two warriors lean on each other and laugh themselves onto the ground.

"I…I can't believe she called him that!" Optimus squealed.

"She, she always did love using that word to describe other males!" Starscream cackled.

"Did I miss something?" Jetfire growled.

Optimus lifted a hand up. "Sorry, you guys turned up a moment to late." She laughed. "Wingdagger just used a word to describe her boss."

Jetfire growled before he spun around. "You can tell me later; I don't want to interrupt your time with you "friend"." He spat before he stormed out of the room.

Starscream sat up slowly, still shaking with laughter. "Does he think that we're a package?" He asked.

"I think so." Optimus sighed. She got to her feet slowly, helping the other Seeker to his feet. "I'd better go explain everything to him."

Starscream nodded before she left the room. Hot Shot turned to glare at him. "You had better not be trying to make a move on her." He growled.

"Trust me, I have no feelings for Optimus Prime in that way." Starscream replied before he turned and left the room.

He followed Optimus down the hallway at a distance, just to make sure that Jetfire wouldn't attempt to harm her, even though it was common knowledge that the two highest ranking Autobots had something happening between them, but as to what the levels were were unknown. He stepped around the corner and quickly leapt back; Optimus had found Jetfire.

"What is your problem Jetfire?" Optimus demanded.

"How could you possibly trust him?!" Jetfire demanded, his voice ringing with venom. "He's a no-good Decepticon!"

"There is a spark within him, Jetfire, I've seen it before." Optimus replied coldly. "I know that it will come back out with a little coaxing from the right femme."

"So you nominated yourself for that position?" Jetfire sneered.

There was the deafening ring of metal striking metal, closely followed by a whimper of pain. Starscream peeked around the corner and grinned as he watched Jetfire lay sprawled out on the ground rubbing his cheek where Optimus had left a large imprint of a fist behind.

"You actually think I throw myself onto every mech that I see?" She growled as she towered over Jetfire's frame. "You disgust me, Jetfire!"

"Well, you were laughing with him!" Jetfire whined.

"I'm allowed to laugh with other mechs! Frag, why are you being so clingy all of a sudden?" Optimus demanded as she straightened up and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"You're supposed to be my girlfriend." Jetfire whined again.

"Girlfriend?" Starscream muttered to himself. He knew that human females were called girls, so that must mean…Optimus was cheating on Megatron!

"Jetfire, why would I try to get Starscream? The guy's already bonded to someone, and he's not my type anyways." Optimus groaned before shaking her head.

Jetfire climbed to his feet and glared down at the smaller femme before removing his face mask. "So, you aren't trying to pick him up?"

"No, you idiot, I'm not." Optimus groaned.

Starscream's optics widened as Jetfire leapt forward and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. He grinned before removing her face mask and holding it away from them both before he swooped in and kissed her. His processor screamed at the outright betrayal to her mate as she returned the kiss without any form of hesitation. He wanted to run out and rip both of them apart, beat the tar out of Jetfire and confront Optimus about her betrayal, but he stopped when one little detail surfaced through his rage; Megatron had raped Optimus. So, he inched away slowly, leaving his old friend to herself.

"I only hope you know what you are doing, Optimus." He whispered before walking back towards his room.


	20. Dreams of the Future

Chapter 19 Dreams of the Future

Wingdagger was exceptionally happy ever since she had spoken with Starscream a week before. She hummed happily to herself, not caring who heard her or the comments that came from the others. Padlock quickly picked up her good mood, laughing with her and smiling profoundly when she spoke. He never commented on the fact that his father had abused her; he was just happy that she was happy after so many millennia of brooding over him and whether she should go looking for a new relationship like Optimus had.

"So, what's the news of the day?" Wingdagger asked as she stopped in front of their commander, whom was passionately referred to as "The Big Tube" by Wingdagger when he was out of audio-shot.

"Optimus has recovered a Minicon from a planet other than the one they are located on." He replied, eying her closely, his blue optics narrowing. "Apparently, Jetfire returned it successfully with the aid of the turncoat, even though he was about to drag him back to the base for refusing to follow orders." He spat.

Padlock backed up as Wingdagger snarled. "That turncoat has a name." She hissed dangerously. "And you had better remember it, Ultra Magnus." She spat before she spun on her heels. "Come along, Padlock." She added.

Padlock quickly followed her, not daring to remain behind to feel Ultra Magnus's wraith at being spoken to like that. "Do you think that was wise?" He asked, his optics darting up to look at her.

She shrugged. "Probably not." She replied. "But I wasn't about to let him refer to him in such a derogatory way. Starscream is an Autobot now and he should be treated as such."

"Not many others would agree with you." Padlock commented. "He was a high ranking Decepticon and it seems unlikely that he would just switch sides on a mere whim."

She glanced down at him and smiled gently. "I did, didn't I?" She asked.

"You're reason was different." Padlock replied with a grin.

"Not really." She laughed. "I was just as high-ranking as him, thanks to his status."

Padlock rolled his optics before laughing. "Whatever you say, Mother. Whatever you say."

"You better remember that." She laughed as she reached over and gave his helm a ruffle. "I'll see you in the morning, ok sweetspark?" She added as she kissed his helm before opening the door to her room.

"Okay, see you tomorrow, Mom." He replied before he continued down the hallway.

Wingdagger let out a soft sigh as she vanished into her room. Padlock was her life in this place, constantly attached to her hip and always willing to do whatever it took to make her smile. He was so much like his father, yet he lacked the ability to fly like they did, but he never let it worry him. He preferred both of his feet on the ground anyways. She smiled as she walked over to her bed and flopped down on it. Scattershot wasn't much different, only he kept waiting for something bad to happen. Always the pessimist, but he was brilliant; she had only seen Starscream rewire a computer faster than her nimble little mech. He had been protoformed and raised in Deltacron, picking up their accent and keeping it.

She smiled as pride swept through her at the thought of her two full-grown mechs. She wished that Starscream had been closer so that she could share that pride with him, showing him every little bit of accomplishment that they had done. Of course, sharing would be much quicker if their sparks were connected where he could search through the files himself, but that was wishful thinking on her part.

She smiled as she powered her optics and snuggled into the bed, her hand reaching out and covering the place where Starscream's chest would have been if he had been lying beside her. Her mind held onto the image of her mate before she slipped into unconsciousness.

**Begin Dream**

"You think they'll be back soon?" Wingdagger asked as she leant against the computer console. "I mean, Optimus can convince Megatron to join us, right?"

"We can only hope so." Kup sighed as he shook his head from the chair. "Primus knows how stubborn that mech is."

Wingdagger nodded, her throat tight in worry. Had something happened to Optimus? Jetfire maybe? Had Megatron finally had enough of the cocky shuttle and blasted him into oblivion? She hoped that nothing would happen; it was the last thing they needed, what with the threat not being the other faction anymore.

"They're here." Padlock chirped as his head snapped up, hearing the sound of heavy footfalls.

Wingdagger and Kup leapt to their feet as Optimus, Jetfire, and (surprisingly) Megatron walked into the room. They're faces were downcast; Optimus looked like she was on the verge of tears and constantly shaking her head, Jetfire's optics only held slight unhappiness, and Megatron looked like someone had ripped out a piece of his spark; his face was scrunched up in a mess of pain and confusion. He kept moving his right arm like he wanted to reach out to Optimus, but Jetfire stood between him and his mate, preventing him from doing such a thing.

_**It was two weeks after the day she turned 18**_

_**All dressed in white; going to the church that night.**_

_**She had his box of letters in the passenger seat,**_

_**Sixpence in a shoe, something borrowed, something blue.**_

Wingdagger blinked in confusion. "What's wrong?" She asked, watching her friend's face as it twisted at her voice; she couldn't hide her feelings from her, she knew her better than anyone, other than Megatron. Jetfire touched his girlfriend's shoulder, but she just shook her head, almost like she was rejecting his comfort.

"Wingdagger," she whispered in a broken voice.

_**And when the church doors opened up wide,**_

_**She put her veil down,**_

_**Trying to hide the tears.**_

_**Oh, she just couldn't believe it.**_

_**She heard the trumpets from the military band**_

_**And the flowers fell out of her hand.**_

"Optimus?"

"Wingdagger," Megatron murmured as he looked down at her. "I'm so sorry."

"Starscream…he isn't coming back." Optimus whispered, her voice breaking into splinters.

Wingdagger's optics widened in disbelief. "No."

_**Baby why'd you leave me?**_

_**Why'd you have to go?**_

_**I was counting on forever, now I'll never know.**_

_**I can't even breath.**_

_**It's like I'm looking from a distance, **_

_**Standing in the background,**_

_**Everybody's saying "He's not coming home now"**_

_**This can't be happening to me.**_

_**This is just a dream.**_

"You're lying." She whispered as her optics darted from each face to the other. "This is some twisted prank of his to get back at me all those years ago."

Optimus let out a sob. "I'm so sorry Wingdagger. He isn't coming back."

_**The preacher man said "let us bow our heads and pray,**_

_**Lord please lift his soul and heal this hurt".**_

_**Then the congregation all stood up and sang, **_

_**The saddest song that she ever heard.**_

_**Then they handed her a folded up flag**_

_**And she held on to all she had left of him.**_

_**Oh, and what could have been.**_

_**Then the guns rang, one last shot,**_

_**And it fell like a bullet in her heart.**_

Optimus pulled a folded up sheet of cloth, something that she didn't recognize, but her spark clenched in pain. "No, no." She whispered as Optimus held it out to her, placing it in her arms as she stared at it in horror. She looked up as Megatron shifted and her spark shattered into a million pieces as his left hand lifted up a wing; not just any wing, Starscream's wing; Starscream's wing sword.

"He would have wanted you to have this." He stated sadly, his optics telling her better than his words could have of how much he regretted his SIC deaths.

Wingdagger held the sword in her hands for a moment before her legs gave out underneath her and she collapsed against the ground. Tears streamed down her face, her voice transmitter filled with static as her throat closed up and refused to take in air. "NO!" She screamed as she shook her head furiously. "NO!"

Outside, she could hear voices murmuring softly, mostly male and gruff; Decepticons. They, as startling as it was, were singing softly, their voices conveying the feeling of pain that she felt. Then, she heard the sounds of guns being raised before there was a loud explosion as they fired them off at once. She felt the lasers of Primus only knew how many Decepticons rip through her spark in their final salute to their fallen comrade.

_**Baby why'd you leave me?**_

_**Why'd you have to go?**_

_**I was counting on forever,**_

_**Now I'll never know.**_

_**I can't even breath.**_

_**It's like I'm standing in the background,**_

_**Everybody saying "he's not coming home now".**_

_**This can't be happening to me**_

_**This is just a dream.**_

A hand touched her shoulder, no doubt Megatron's from the clawed feel to it. She looked up and met his optics, a single tear leaking down his face. She shook her head angrily, not believing what they were telling her; he couldn't be dead! Not Starscream! Never Starscream!

"Wingdagger," he whispered, "I'm sorry. He's not coming home."

Her face scrunched up in pain as she dropped her gaze and let her sobs take over. She felt her best friend's arms wrap around her shoulders, pressing her head against hers. They shared the pain, understanding how it hurt the other. Wingdagger had lost her mate, Optimus had lost a friend. Megatron's hand never left her shoulder. Her sobs intensified before it all faded away.

_**Oh, baby why'd you leave me?**_

_**Why'd you have to go?**_

_**I was counting on forever, **_

_**Now I'll never know.**_

_**It's like I'm looking from a distance,**_

_**Standing in the background,**_

_**Everybody's saying "he's not coming home now".**_

_**This can't be happening to me,**_

_**This is just a dream.**_

_**Just a dream.**_

**End Dream**

Wingdagger bolted up right. Tears were streaming down her face and her intakes her heaving. She sat there for a moment, trying to get her bearings back. When everything came crashing back down on her, she bolted out of her room, down the hall, and into the communication center. Her fingers flew across the keyboard, getting the co-ordinates into the computer faster than ever before.

Red Alert's face appeared on the monitor, slightly surprised at who was on the other end. "Wingdagger?" He asked. "What are you doing calling? Isn't it rather late?"

Wingdagger shook her head. "Is Starscream up?" She asked quietly.

He frowned slightly. "I'll check." He replied before he smiled. "He's on his way."

She nodded weakly in reply, waiting for her mate to turn up. It must have been 5 minutes before Starscream's voice floated in. "What did you want to see me about?" His voice asked.

Red Alert smiled before he jerked a thumb at the screen. "Wingdagger." He replied. He leapt out of the way as Starscream leapt forward, his hands clutching the computer console.

"Wingdagger." He breathed, quickly taking note of her tears as Red Alert left the room. "What's wrong?" He asked gently.

Wingdagger just shook her head, not sure how to tell him anything. He seemed to understand that and started humming gently, trying to soothe her. She smiled behind her face mask before she looked up again. His orange optics were twinkling softly and she thought about how she would never be able to live without them staring into her own.

"Starscream?" She murmured.

"Yes?" He chuckled.

"Promise me you'll come home." She said in return, her optics searching his face desperately.

He smiled before he laughed. "Dag, why would you ask that? Of course I'm coming home!" He replied, his optics filled with mirth. "I'm coming home to be with you. Never forget that."

Wingdagger smiled as she leaned forward. "I'll be waiting." She replied.

**Author's note:** Sorry for the wait! I decided to go with Wingdagger for this chapter, mostly because I had a brain block. Song called _Just A Dream_ by Carrie Underwood. It's an amazing song and I highly recommend it! It really suits Wingdagger in that part, don't you think? She knows that Starscream isn't coming home, poor thing. Or will he make it back to her? Leave me a review with your opinion!


	21. Rescuing the Kids

Chapter 20 Rescuing the Kids

Optimus glanced up from her energon and immediately looked back down, trying desperately not to laugh as Hot Shot and Starscream continued to glare at each other. They had been doing the same thing since the kids had left some 20 minutes before and it was taking everything that she and Red Alert had as will power to not break down into fits of laughter. Hot Shot looked like there was something shoved into the sensitive areas of his body while Starscream looked like he was trying to read something really small a really long distance away.

"HA!" Starscream snarled suddenly. "You blinked!"

Optimus choked on her energon, spluttering as she fought to regain her composure. "You liar! I never did!" Hot Shot snarled.

"You just did." Starscream sneered.

"That's not fair!" Hot Shot whined. "I got something in my optic."

"That's what they all say." Starscream chuckled before he glanced over at her. "You ok, Optimus?"

"Fine." She replied around a giggle. "Just fine."

"It's not funny!" Hot Shot snapped. "He's cheating!"

"How can he cheat in a staring contest?" Sideswipe asked as he swung his legs back and forth from where he was sitting on the table beside the main computers.

"He's a Decepticon! He'll find some way to cheat!" Hot Shot snapped, spinning around to glare at his brother.

Optimus sighed before shaking her head. "Hot Shot, drop it; Starscream wouldn't cheat in something as petty as a staring contest." She replied.

"It's not petty!" Hot Shot spat.

"He doesn't like losing, does he?" Starscream asked.

"Nope." Optimus replied as she took another sip of her drink.

"Reminds me of…," Starscream started to say.

"Finish that sentence and I'll throw this cube at you." Optimus warned as she drained the last of her energon.

Starscream chuckled before drinking his own energon. He only got half way through it before the kids flew into the room, yelling their heads off and waving their arms over their heads. Optimus lifted an optic ridge as she noticed that only Alexis, Rad, and Carlos were present, along with their partnered Minicons. She straightened up and placed her face mask back on to hide the thin line that her mouth had become.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Cyclonus kidnapped Billy and Fred!" Rad shouted, his eyes wide with fright.

"Yeah! And we don't know what his planning on doing to them!" Carlos added.

Hot Shot growled behind her, letting her know exactly how he felt about the situation. "That dirty little swine!" He snarled punching the wall beside him. "That's stooping lower than low; who kidnaps children and holds them hostage?"

"A clever mech." Starscream replied. "Most adults would give anything to have their children returned to them safely; they are after our Minicons."

"What was your first clue, genius?" Jetfire sneered as he took a step forward. "Of course they're after our Minicons! That's all you Decepticons are ever after!"

Starscream growled as he took a step forward, no doubt to defend himself or his previous faction, but Optimus stepped between him and Jetfire. "That's enough, both of you." She stated calmly. "We are one faction, not a fragment of what we truly are."

"But, Optimus," Jetfire started to whine.

"Enough, Jetfire, right now we have to track down Cyclonus and rescue Billy and Fred." She stated evenly, shooting him a glare before she turned to Red Alert. "Can you locate him?"

"Right away, Optimus, ma'am." He replied as he started typing away at the keypad. "Found him!" He added a minute later, sending the co-ordinates to the warp room. "Ready to move out on your orders!"

"Autobots, transform and roll out!" She shouted, before they all raced over to the warp room, transformed, and waited for the launch sequence to start.

"Yehaw!" Jetfire shouted as they were teleported to the area that Red Alert had pinpointed Cyclonus' position.

"Be on high alert, Autobots." Optimus stated as they started driving, or in Starscream and Jetfire's case flying, towards the little, run-down, town. "We don't know what's waiting for us."

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"What do you think they're going to do to us?" Fred whimpered.

"How am I supposed to know?" Billy demanded as he hit the side of the building they were in. "These are Decepticons; they're evil and twisted."

Megatron growled silently to himself from where he was hidden under a pile of junk. These two humans were starting to drive him crazy; all they did was whimper, whine, and complain. They were lucky that he had not coordinated the kidnapping because he would have just crushed them before Optimus' optics; he hated the organic brats with a passion. How did Optimus put up with them? Not even sparklings were this horrible to listen to! And that was saying something considering that young sparklings didn't know when to stop talking.

Leader 1 was beeping softly beside him, asking for his orders. He let out a low snort, barely heard over the brats endless babbly over nothing. His orders were clear; keep an optic on the brats until their signal was given. He watched as his Minicon slipped away and stepped into the view of the human mechs. They whispered to one another before they tried to pin him to the ground. He mentally winced as his Minicon let off a warning shot, blasting through the roof.

He heard several shouts from outside, but it was drowned out by Cyclonus' insane laughter. 'At least I know that they have arrived.' He thought bitterly, immediately searching for Optimus' spark, as well as his two wayward sons. They were there; good, now he could use the human to not only get the Minicons, but he could also get his mate and offspring back.

He could hear other Minicons beeping, talking to Leader one in their primitive language. It was worse than young sparklings; at least they made sense when they beeped and chirped at you. Then he heard three additional voices; ah, the other humans have arrived to save their friends. This was going to be easier than he had originally planed.

He heard the kids land on the ground and he grinned; time to come out of hiding. "Transform." He stated before he exploded out from underneath the pile of junk.

He heard the kids screaming somewhere around his feet and he laughed. Electricity pulsed out of his horns, creating a dark purple circle around the kids and their Minicon partners. They screamed again as the circle rose up and surrounded them, pumping vast amounts of electricity through them at the same time. He laughed as the sphere of purple electricity floated up into his hand while Leader 1 hopped onto his shoulder.

"Well, this was far easier than I expected." He chuckled. "Let's go see what the others are up to, shall we?" He added with a sneer before he punched his fist through the roof of the building, tearing it off without any problems.

"It's Megatron!" He heard Hot Shot snarl.

"And he has the kids!" Jetfire added.

Megatron made the same motion as a human rolling their eyes before he looked at Jetfire. "You sound surprised, Jetfire. You don't think these kids would want to hang around with me?" He asked innocently before they started screaming as more electricity was pumped through them.

"Release them, Megatron." Optimus snarled from where she was positioned between Jetfire, Hot Shot, and Starscream.

"How about a trade, Prime?" He chuckled. "Your Minicons for these kids."

"Don't do it Optimus!" One of the brats in his hand shouted.

"Yeah, if they get the Minicons they'll be too powerful!" Another one shouted.

"Silence." He snarled as he pumped more electricity through their pathetic bodies. They continued to scream at Optimus that they were fine and not to give up the Minicons; they really didn't know how an adult mind worked did they?

He heard Optimus sigh sadly. "Sorry," she murmured to the Minicon that was hiding behind her leg, "I really wish there was something else I could do."

Jetfire glared at her. "You mean you're actually just going to give up the Minicons?!" He demanded. "You heard the kids Optimus, they're fine!"

"Saying something and meaning it, Jetfire, are two different things." Optimus replied. "They're kids…kids that should never have gotten caught up in our war." She nodded to the Minicons that had gathered around the legs of her mechs. "I'm sorry; go on."

The Minicons let out frightened beeps but did as they were told. Hot Shot had his fist clenched and glaring at him while Jetfire was busy trying to stare down Optimus, to no success since she wasn't so easily frightened. Sideswipe was staring on as his Minicon was snatched up by Wheeljack, who made a show of stuffing him into his shoulder cavity to use later on, before he dared to glance at him with a brief look of betrayal.

"We held up our end of the bargain, Megatron." Optimus stated as she glared at him. "Now hand over the kids."

Megatron chuckled slightly. "Well, considering how much they mean to you Optimus, I think I'm going to need more persuasion to give them back." He replied.

"What?" Jetfire demanded. "We just gave you eight Minicons for our kids back!"

"Yes, and did you notice something?" Megatron asked, quickly becoming annoyed. "There are nine hostages in my hand; it would appear that an extra Minicon tagged along with your kids."

"What do you want in exchange, Megatron?" Optimus stated calmly, even though she was pouring a great amount of hatred down their bond.

Megatron made a good show of looking over all of the mechs that were standing on either side of Optimus before he grinned and looked back at her. "Oh, how about the youngling there?" He replied, nodding towards Sideswipe, who immediately began to pale. "I could use a new soldier."

"No!" Hot Shot snarled, stepping to the side to block his brother from view.

"I don't suppose you want the kids back that much." Megatron replied as he made them scream again.

"That's enough, Megatron." Optimus snapped.

Sideswipe timidly walked up to Optimus, giving her a desperate look. She looked down at him and sighed heavily; this was going to be one of the hardest choices she would ever have to make. Megatron grinned; and she said that he never would get his sparklings back.

"I'll go." He heard Sideswipe whisper before he turned shakily towards him.

The mechs beside him let out snickers as Sideswipe walked slowly towards them, his optics constantly darting from one face to another. He went to walk past him, but he clamped his other hand down on his shoulder, stalling his effort to hide behind him. He reached out with his spark and gently wrapped it around his son's, proving to him that he truly belonged to him now.

'_You are mine now.'_ He whispered through the bond. _'Optimus and Hot Shot are no longer your friends; they are enemies as long as they remain Autobots.'_

He let out an audible whimper, glancing up at him fearfully with his large blue optics. Megatron chuckled slightly before he looked back at the other Autobots. "We kept our part of the deal, Megatron, again." Optimus stated coldly. "Now give the kids back."

Megatron chuckled. "No, I don't think so."

"WHAT?!" She screeched.

"You double crossed us!" Hot Shot snarled as Sideswipe tried to squirm away from him.

"You were expecting a fair trade from me?" Megatron asked as he tightened his grip on Sideswipe's arm, causing him to whimper more. "I think I'm going to keep these kids for future deals." He added.

"You dirty son of a glitch!" Jetfire roared before he started charging at him. Megatron snorted before he jerked Sideswipe in front of him and held one of his claws to his sparkling's throat. Jetfire froze as quickly as he had started running, his golden optics widening slightly before they narrowed into slits. "You wouldn't." He snarled.

Megatron chuckled as he pushed his claw deeper, causing Sideswipe to whimper again. "Watch me."

"Don't," Sideswipe whimpered, trying to turn his head someway so he wasn't pinned down with a claw. "Please."

"Megatron that's enough." Optimus snarled, her optics boring into him.

"Tell Jetfire to stand down." He replied. "Or the youngling is going to have a very nasty wound." He added as he stroked Sideswipe's face slightly with his claws.

"Jetfire," she started to order.

"This isn't right, Prime!" Jetfire snarled. "He just double crossed us! And he's threatening Sideswipe's life! How can you just stand there?!"

"Because she knows how I work." Megatron laughed. "I keep my word when it comes to threats on another's life, Jetfire. So, unless you want Sideswipe's energon to stain the ground you're standing on, I suggest you back down."

Jetfire went to take another step forward, but a glowing red blade stopped him. "Don't try Megatron's patience." Starscream stated calmly. "He is giving you a chance to stand down; usually he would have just sliced Sideswipe's throat wide open in a situation like this."

Jetfire growled, but allowed Starscream to back them up. He chuckled as he pulled his claws away from Sideswipe's throat and placed it back on his shoulder. He glanced at the orb that held the humans captive before he snorted and tossed it towards the Autobots. "Here, I can't stand their screaming anyways." He stated coldly. "Decepticons, return to base." He ordered before they all warped away, Minicons and Sideswipe included.

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"How could you just let him leave?!" Jetfire snarled as he rounded on Optimus in the control room. "With our Minicons and Sideswipe?!"

"I didn't have much of a choice, Jetfire." She replied calmly, typing away at the keypad as she tried to get the exact co-ordinates for the Decepticon base.

"You could have shot him!"

"And risk injuring the kids or Sideswipe?" She demanded as she shot him a heated glare.

"Sideswipe would have ducked!" Jetfire snapped.

"Sideswipe was pinned down by his throat!" Optimus snarled. "He couldn't exactly move now could he?"

"Why wasn't he fighting back?" Jetfire demanded.

"He was terrified!" Optimus groaned. "It was pouring down our bond faster than energon from a wound!"

"He could have at least done something! What kind of a warrior…," Jetfire started to say.

"I noticed that you weren't fighting back when I had my blade to your throat." Starscream commented as he walked into the room, two cubes of energon in his hands. "Here, Optimus, I have a feeling you need this." He added as he gave her the second cube.

"Thank you." She sighed as she took a sip. "Hmm…mid-grade with a splash of high grade? Been a while since I had this." She commented.

"And to answer your question, Starscream," Jetfire spat, "I wasn't dumb enough to get my head chopped off by a blade!"

"Then that is why Sideswipe didn't fight back." Starscream replied. "He knew that Megatron's claws were as sharp as any blade and he did not want to get his throat sliced open."

Jetfire growled. "I didn't see you moving!" He snapped.

"And you did." He replied. "Now, we have no Minicons and Sideswipe is in Megatron's hands."

"That would have happened anyways!" Jetfire snapped.

"Megatron leaves openings when he gets cocky and thinks he has won." Starscream replied. "Had you moved later, when his head would have turned to give the order to return to base, we could have gotten the kids and Sideswipe back, not to mention reclaimed our Minicons."

Jetfire froze before Optimus turned to Starscream. "Are you sure he would have turned his head."

He nodded. "He always does when he thinks he has won." He replied.

Optimus closed her optics for a moment. "Could you give me the co-ordinates for their moon base?" She asked as she pointed to the keypad. "I can't seem to pinpoint it."

Starscream smiled before he nodded. "Of course, Commander." He replied before he walked over and began to type away at the keypad.

Jetfire glared at him before he turned to Optimus and brought his face close to hers. "You are my girlfriend, remember that." He hissed.

"If you want to get technical about it," Starscream stated calmly from where he was working, "technically, she's still Megatron's mate."

Optimus glanced at him with an optic ridge raised while Jetfire stood there fuming. "Starscream, may I suggest you shut your mouth before Jetfire knocks it in?"

"Just saying." Starscream replied. "He views me as a threat to his relationship with you; I'd hate to think what Megatron views him as."

Optimus groaned. "Starscream."

"I know, shut up." He laughed.

Jetfire let out a strained growl before he spun around and stormed out of the room.

"You really like to start slag, don't you?" She asked with a sigh.

"Only with mechs who pick on my friends." Starscream replied.

"Well, I'm honored to still be considered a friend." She chuckled.

"You've earned that right." Starscream stated as he shot her a smile. "You might have been the leader of the opposite faction but you've been keeping Wingdagger and my other offspring safe; that's a true friend if you ask me."

Optimus smiled before she pulled off her face mask and kissed his cheek. "Thanks." She replied before she put her mask back on.

"Let me guess, Wingdagger told you to give me a kiss from her?" Starscream laughed.

"Maybe." She replied with a wink. "Maybe I'm just being friendly."

"Whatever you say, boss, whatever you say."

**Author's note:** I'm not dead, I swear! Just very lazy…. See, this is what happens when Jetfire gets jealous…he reacts to things to quickly and people get kidnapped. I was watching an old episode of Armada and I decided that since I liked the episode where Billy and Fred got kidnapped, I was going to add it in. And Sideswipe gets taken away in my world and the kids are returned…slightly fried but still alive. Megatron would use Sideswipe as a means to get Jetfire to back off, don't you think. Of course, Jetfire doesn't like the kid as much as Megatron had hoped, but, oh well. I hope you enjoyed this installment, stay tuned for more.


	22. Possible Rescue

Chapter 21 Possible Rescue

Optimus stood before the small army of Autobots and inhaled deeply. "Gentlemechs, we know that in a deal to get the kids and several Minicons back, we were given no choice but to give the Decepticons Side Swipe." She stated, her spark clenching.

"We didn't have…," Jetfire started to snarl before Scavenger wound up and smacked him in the head with a backhanded swing.

"Shut up, Jetfire." He growled. "Let our leader finish."

"Thank you, Scavenger." She sighed. "However, Megatron then used him as a hostage and that is why we have to rescue him."

"How are we going to do that?" Hot Shot asked, his blue optics burning at the thought of his brother being trapped with the Decepticons.

"Starscream has downloaded the schematics of the Decepticon's base into our main computers and we have been able to create a simple yet effective strategy to get him out." Optimus stated, changing the image on the screen to a map that Starscream had put together for them. "We go in, locate him, and get out. Quick, simple, and hopefully with minimum interference with the Decepticons."

"What if we do run into the Decepticons?" Blur asked.

"We fight back and try not to hurt Side Swipe." Optimus replied. "Is everyone understanding of the basics?" She asked.

"Understood." They all shouted, saluting.

"Good; Starscream, if you would care to explain the plan to everyone."

Starscream nodded as he walked forward and began to explain the plan to the others, going into every detail that was needed and answering questions when extra clarification was needed. Optimus allowed herself to look away to think everything over since she already knew the plan. Side Swipe had to be saved and soon; she didn't want to think about what the innocent youngling was going through in the Decepticons' base. Megatron was known to be cruel but she wasn't sure how he would act towards his own son, Cyclonus was unpredictable, Demolisher and Tidal Wave wouldn't touch him if Megatron told them not to, Thrust was not known to be friendly with younglings, and she didn't trust Sideways as far as she could throw him.

"Optimus," Starscream's voice cut through her musing, "we're ready to depart."

She nodded before she looked at all of her mechs. "Autobots, transform and roll out!" She ordered.

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Side Swipe shivered as he lay on his recharge bed curled up in a protective ball. He hated it here, hated everything about the Decepticons, and he hated being so far away from Hot Shot and Optimus. He felt lost and vulnerable, especially since most of the Decepticons kept giving him hostile looks; he hadn't chose to come here! At least Wheeljack had given him his Minicon back; it was a tiny ray of light in the darkness that surrounded him.

"Is there a problem, Side Swipe?" Megatron voice echoed out of the darkness, causing him to yip in surprise and fling himself against the wall beside his bed.

Megatron lifted an optic ridge as he closed the door behind him, turning the sound-proofing system on out of habit. Side Swipe whimpered as he tried to press himself tighter to the wall, his blue optics filled with fear and mistrust. The giant purple and green tyrant shook his head at the display and growled.

"Now really, Side Swipe, have I ever mistreated you since you came here?" Megatron asked as he walked over to the bed and sat down.

"You will!" Side Swipe shouted fearfully, tears starting to form in his optics. "You're a twisted mech! Twisted, evil, and, and cruel!"

Megatron laughed, causing his son to cringe in terror; nothing good ever came from him laughing. "My, my Side Swipe, you are oddly vocal all of a sudden. Are you honestly that terrified of me?" He asked with a flash of his optics.

"Yes." Side Swipe whimpered as he started to cry. "You're the single most terrifying mech that I've ever met!"

Megatron chuckled before he reached over and easily lifted Side Swipe into the air, causing him to struggle until he was dropped onto Megatron's lap. He froze as his father began to stroke his helm slightly, chuckling the whole time. "My, the Autobots seem to enjoy raising cowards." He stated.

"I'm not a coward." Side Swipe whimpered.

"Then you wouldn't be afraid of me." Megatron replied evenly as he held his son close to him.

"I'm afraid of what you'll do." Side Swipe retorted as he struggled against the larger mech. "You wouldn't cared if I died or not! You'd kill me yourself if you wanted to!"

"Now what makes you think that?" Megatron asked with a false hurt voice.

"You were going to slice my throat wide open when Jetfire wouldn't back down!" Side Swipe snarled, managing to half wiggle out of his father's arms.

"I wasn't actually going to kill you." He chuckled as he readjusted his hold and had him back against his chest in a friendly hug. "I was counting on Jetfire to back off because your life was being threatened; looks like he doesn't like you half as much as I thought."

Side Swipe growled. "I bet Jetfire will make a better father and mate than you would have ever been." He hissed, realizing a second too late that it was not the smartest thing to say to Megatron.

In a second, he had him pinned against the wall by his throat, his claws digging into the synthetic skin on his neck. He gagged as he grabbed onto the larger mech's arm, trying fruitlessly to get him to let go. "Understand one thing, Side Swipe." Megatron growled as he tightened his grip. "I am the only mate that Oriona Pax will ever have and I am a better father than Jetfire."

"You sure aren't proving that." Side Swipe gagged as he feebly began to kick his legs out.

Megatron snorted before he dropped him at his feet, watching as his son gasped for air and coughed. "Perhaps you should start acting more like a son and not like a spoilt little brat." He replied before he turned and left the room.

Side Swipe looked up at the door with tears in his optics. "I hate you." He snarled before he leant forward and started crying. "I hate you!" He screamed before he collapsed to the ground, bawling his optics out and curling up in a ball.

He just wanted to go home, to be back with his brother and joke around with the human kids. He wanted to feel the gentle rhythm of Optimus' spark when she stood beside him, hearing her voice as she praised him for his hard work and accomplishments. He wanted to be back with Starscream listening to all his stories about flying in through the Cybertronian airways, exploring the planet and researching new inventions. He wanted to laugh with Hot Shot when Scavenger fell asleep during their lessons; he wanted to hear Jetfire's loud voice booming about all of his accomplishments and then get scolded by Optimus for being so hothead, only for him to rip off their face masks and kiss her.

He lifted his head as an explosion reached his audios, quickly followed by Megatron ordering all the Decepticons to report to their stations. He whimpered as he heard footsteps thunder past his door, waiting for one of the Decepticons to rip his door open and order him to follow. He glanced at his recharge bed then slowly crawled over to it and slid underneath it; he didn't want to fight against his old friends. There was silence beyond the door, the footsteps long gone and no one had even bothered to check on him. He was fine with that; he didn't trust any of them…except maybe Wheeljack, he seemed like he could be trusted.

He blinked a few times before his door burst open, causing him to yelped in shock and recoil farther under the bed. "Hey, Side Swipe, you in here?" Blurr's voice called out.

"Hey, little bro, you ok?" Hot Shot's voice echoed behind Blurr's.

"Hot Shot?" He called timidly creeping towards the edge of the bed. "That you?"

Hot Shot knelt down in front of his bed, peeking his head under it and smiling at him. "Yeah, it's me." He replied as he held out his hand. "Come on, let's get out of here!" Side Swipe quickly crawled out from under the bed and latched onto his older brother's chest. Hot Shot yelped in shock before he laughed, hugging him tightly in return. "Hey, come on now! We don't have enough time to have a reunion here; the Decepticons could turn up at any time."

Side Swipe nodded as he stood up, shaking slightly before Hot Shot glanced at Blurr. "Look, bro, don't hate us, ok?" He murmured softly as he stood up. "But…the safest way to get you out of here without injuring you too much is to…knock you out."

Side Swipe blinked. "Why?" He asked before Blurr's gun hit him hard in the back of the head, knocking him out cold.

"Because then you won't panic when we have to get back through the main room." Blurr muttered before he picked him up and slinging him over his shoulder. "Sorry kid." He added.

Hot Shot nodded before they took off back out the door and down the hallway. He could hear shouts coming from farther ahead and signaled to Blurr to wait. He crept forward slowly, waiting for any sign of trouble. Shouts reached his audios and he charged forward, bursting into the room panting angrily. Optimus was pinned against the wall, Megatron, Tidal Wave, and Cyclonus pointing their guns on her.

"Optimus!" He shouted as he pulled his own gun out.

"Stand down, Hot Shot." Optimus ordered, her optics focusing on him.

"You might want to listen to what she says to you." Megatron chuckled darkly before he lifted the Requiem Blaster up onto his shoulder. "Unless of course, you want your precious Prime to be reduced to space dust." He added as he pointed the blaster at her chest.

"Hot Shot, get going!" She shouted, her voice rising. Her optics were focused on him and he knew that Megatron wasn't serious about using the Blaster on her but he wasn't going to disobey a direct order. "You know what you're job is, now go."

Hot Shot stayed for only a second more before he darted back out of the room, yelling at Blurr to get to the warp room. The older warrior nodded before he took off running, both of them quickly navigating through the hallways before they ran into Jetfire and Scavenger as they were typing in the co-ordinates to their Earth base. Jetfire glanced at them before his optics narrowed.

"Where's Optimus?" He asked.

"Fighting Megatron, Tidal Wave, and Cyclonus." Hot Shot replied as they loaded Side Swipe's body onto the warp platform.

"Why didn't you help?!" Jetfire snarled.

"Because if I had, she would have gotten a chest full of Requiem Blaster!" Hot Shot snarled back. "Do you think I would leave her if it wasn't something that would have killed her?"

"Megatron will kill her, you idiot!" Jetfire snarled.

"No, he won't." Scavenger stated evenly as he shoved Jetfire onto the platform. "You worry about getting the kid back to base; that's your job." He added.

"What about you?" Hot Shot asked as Blurr and Jetfire scrambled up behind him.

"I'll help Prime and Starscream." He replied before they warped away. "After Prime gets her Minicon back." He added before he took off to find Starscream and see if he needed help with his sub-mission.

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Hot Shot let out a sigh of relief as Optimus, Scavenger, and Starscream came through their warp gate. They looked heavily injured, if Optimus' limp was any form of proof. Red Alert ushered them into the med bay for repairs. He wasn't allowed in until Red Alert was finished, and he found that he didn't want to; at least Side Swipe was keeping him occupied. The young mech had woken up feeling slightly betrayed, but after everything was explained to him he quickly forgave them, breaking down into tears as he hugged his older brother tightly.

While Hot Shot was busy getting hugged by his ever loving brother, Optimus was getting her leg attended to by Red Alert. "It's crushed." He commented bitterly.

"Well, that's what happens when you forget to move your leg after you decide to trip Tidal Wave." Optimus sighed before glancing at Starscream. "The Minicons are in the base?" She asked.

"All returned to their current holding station at the back of the ship." Starscream replied as he reconnected the circuits in his arm. "But there is something else that you need to know." He added, eyeing Red Alert and Scavenger slightly. "But I would prefer to tell you in private."

"Whatever is said in the med bay never leaves." Red Alert stated calmly. "You have my word on that."

Starscream sighed before he met Optimus' optics. "I've received an offer from Thrust to return to the Decepticons." He stated, causing Red Alert to drop his welder in shock. "All charges against me dropped and my rank reinstated. All I have to do is bring the Starsabre and the Skyboom Shield to Megatron."

"A tempting offer." Optimus stated evenly as she nodded. "And your views on the offer?"

"It is a means for Megatron to achieve his mission of destroying the Autobots." Starscream stated evenly. "But it is much too simple; Thrust is too smart to settle for something like that."

"You suspect an ulterior motive?" Scavenger asked.

"Yes; I believe Thrust may be acting under other orders. You know how easily swayed to power he is." Starscream replied.

"Yes, that was always his biggest weakness." Optimus sighed.

"So, I have a question to ask of you, Optimus." Starscream added quickly. "Optimus, do you want a spy in the Decepticon ranks?"

"It's risky." She replied.

"I am willing to take the offer and keep you informed of the events that take place in Megatron's army." Starscream stated.

Optimus looked at him, her optics betraying her worry. "Starscream, it is a major risk to give the weapons to Megatron, let alone letting you return." She replied.

"It might be our only chance to end this war once and for all!" Starscream countered, his optics conveying his desperation. "Optimus, this war has dragged on for so long, many of us have forgotten what we use to stand for. And many of us have never had a chance to know our sparklings." He added.

Optimus sighed before she shook her head. "You've talked to Wingdagger recently?" She asked.

"She wants the war to end." He replied as he looked off into the distance. "As do I…I want everything to return to normal…but you would still lead us." He added as he looked back at her. "Because you can change everyone's view of things and take actions to fix what was destroyed."

Optimus chuckled. "I'll take that as a compliment." She replied.

"And Optimus…perhaps you should try to talk to Megatron away from the battlefield." Starscream added as he crossed his arm across his chest. "He does care about you…he's just confused at the moment."

She gawked at him for several moments before shaking her head. "I'm not talking to him." She replied. "That would be suicide."

"I'm just saying." Starscream replied before he sighed. "So, I'll go as a spy back to the Decepticons?" He asked.

"If you wish to do this task, then there is nothing I can do to stop you." She replied.

He nodded before he stood up. "I will keep you informed of everything." He stated. "I'll wait for a few more days before I return…are you willing to give up the Skyboom Shield and the Starsabre Sword?"

"Yes…as long as you promise to take good care of those Minicons." She replied.

"I'll do my best." He replied before he bowed and left the med bay.

"Do you believe that he will be alright?" Red Alert asked.

"Starscream knows his way around the Decepticons." Optimus stated gently. "And it will be better for him to return to Cybertron with the Decepticons; Flamewar would kill him if she found out that he changed sides."

"Flamewar didn't like her family splitting apart." Scavenger chuckled.

"I'd hate to know what she'd do to me if she found out that I'm her old friend Oriona Pax." Optimus chuckled.

"Probably beat you over the head and ask what was wrong with you; white was never your colour." Scavenger joked.

"Shut up." She groaned before she covered her face with her hand. "As far as anyone is concerned, it's cream."

"Oh really?"

"That's my story and I'm sticking to it."

Scavenger chuckled before he left the room, no doubt to go tell Hot Shot and Side Swipe that she was ok. She was slightly annoyed that Jetfire had recently gotten to possessive because of Starscream's presence. She had never viewed the Seeker as a potential mate; he was Wingdagger's mate, hers alone to love and cherish. She had a mate perhaps…but could she bring herself to bond with Jetfire, when nothing would ever be like the feelings she had had for Megatron? She wasn't sure of her choice, but she was willing to put it off for a little while longer; she didn't want to think about it at that moment.


	23. Unexpected Sacrifices

Chapter 22 Unexpected Sacrifice

Starscream's "betrayal" went through smoothly; every Autobot called him a traitor while the Decepticons thought he was a suck-up just out to save his own aft. It stung to hear all the rude remarks made by her mechs, but she couldn't really blame them; they were unaware of Starscream's spy missions. He called in his findings every week on a privet link that she had set up, reassuring her that he was fine and no one suspected anything about his true loyalties.

Wingdagger had been informed of Starscream's side-change; she was devastated by the news, breaking down and crying while Jetfire drowned on and on about how he knew Starscream was bad news from the beginning. He didn't stop to think about how she might react to all the harsh words that he was spewing about her mate, or that she might take everything as an insult to herself as well. In the end, she had ordered Scavenger to throw him out of the room, telling him to hit him over the head when they were far enough away that no one heard him yelp. Wingdagger was still crying when the others left, unable to stand her spark-wrenching sobs.

"Dagger," Optimus sighed softly, "it's ok, calm down."

"He turned his back on us Pax!" She sobbed as she looked up at her, optical fluid leaking down her face. "How can that be ok?"

She smiled weakly behind her face mask, wanting to tell her best friend everything. She should have been allowed to know; Starscream was her bond mate and she deserved to know that he was risking his own life to help them win. But, if too many knew about his undercover mission, it could jeopardize everything and his life. There were too many loud moths in the ranks to let anyone know about this via open video link.

"Trust me, Dag, everything's going to be alright," she murmured reassuringly.

The other femme looked into her optics, red burning yellow before she sighed and nodded. "Ok," she replied.

They bid each other farewell and cut the link. Optimus barely hade time to turn around before her COM. link went off. She touched her helm and was immediately told by Starscream to remain silent. She blinked before allowing Starscream to continue, but instead of hearing him talk again, Megatron and Thrust's voice flowed over the com.

"Now, what did you want to show me?" Megatron's voice demanded.

"A most incredible discovery, my lord," Thrust replied with his annoying giggle.

"Get on with it," Megatron growled, his patience obviously thin at the moment.

"Of course, my liege," Thrust replied. "The Skyboom shield, Starsabre sword, and the Requiem blaster are powerful weapons on their own, but together the make an even more powerful weapon, the Hydra cannon."

Optimus felt her optics widen as Megatron chuckled at the news. "Is that so?" He asked.

"Yes, and nothing can stand against it," Thrust giggled. "Think about how quickly we can annihilate the Autobots!"

Megatron chuckled again, his heavy footsteps echoing down the link. "Indeed, or perhaps have some of them surrender and sparred."

She shuddered as she understood what he was talking about; her and her sons. "Slaves?" Thrust asked curiously.

"Perhaps," Megatron replied before Thrust squawked in surprise, "or perhaps as a different type of slave."

She heard running feet before Starscream started laughing. "Good Primus!" He cackled. "You…you should have seen that! I thought Thrust was going to faint!"

"What happened?" She asked, confused as to why Starscream was laughing so hard.

"Megatron fragging just grabbed Thrust's aft!" Starscream hooted.

In spite of herself and how many times she told herself she would never laugh at Thrust, she burst out laughing anyways, clutching her sides as she almost collapsed to the ground. She could almost picture Thrust's pink optics widening when Megatron grabbed him; it was common knowledge that the cone-head Seeker was gay. However, most of the mechs that knew him ignored it since he only ever showed it when he giggled and it wasn't like he went looking for a mech mate anyways.

"I wish I had seen that!" She squealed. "Frag, his optics must have bugged out of his face!"

"Oh, they did!" Starscream cackled. "It was priceless!"

She stood there laughing with him over the link, imagining the look on Thrust's face when he was groped by Megatron. When they both managed to quell their laughter enough to talk about the problem at hand, Starscream had to leave since Thrust had come out demanding to know what all the noise was about. She heard Starscream collapse into a fit of laughter just before the link was cut. She snickered as she turned off her com. link, beginning to focus on the situation that had just presented itself.

The Decepticons had a super weapon in their possession, one that was three times as powerful as the Requiem Blaster. It was a sobering though; to think that her crazy, power-hungry mate had it was terrifying on top of that. Megatron would abuse such power, but most would; power corrupted even the most stead-fast mech or femme. Megatron was one of the most corrupted, using his power to abuse the way their kind lived. He would kill thousands without so much as an after-thought; the Hydra cannon had to be dismantled and the three Minicon weapons separated for their own safety. She knew that none of them liked to be used against their will, and they would understand their precautions. She sighed again before she contacted the other Autobots; time to inform them about their new situation.

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"So, Megatron has a super weapon?" Red Alert asked, just to clarify everything.

"We have to destroy it!" Jetfire shouted.

"Calm down, Jetfire," Scavenger sighed. "In case you forgot, the weapon is powered by the three Minicon weapons; I don't think they will take kindly to you attempting to kill them."

Jetfire grumbled under his breath as Optimus cleared her throat. "As true as that is, Scavenger, we need to separate them and make sure that they can not be abused again," she stated.

"So, what are we gunna do?" Side Swipe asked, his big blue optics making her spark clench at the thought of losing him to Megatron's claws.

"Jetfire and I will head to the Decepticons' ship to try to dismantle the cannon," she replied.

The others nodded in understanding, an odd sort of tension settling around them. Hot Shot and Side Swipe looked worried, glancing at each other than back at her; did they sense the fear that she had at the thought of diving head first into Decepticon territory? She nodded to Jetfire before the both of them headed to the exit of the base; since they couldn't exactly teleport into the middle of space, Jetfire would fly them both to the ship.

"Mom!" Hot Shot's voice rang out just before they reached the exit to the base.

She stopped and turned around, watching as Hot Shot and Side Swipe came racing up to them, their blue optics hard with determination. She wasn't surprised to see them; she had half expected them to leap forward and declare that they were coming with them.

"Yes, Hot Shot?" She asked.

"I and bro are coming with you!" Side Swipe blurted out.

"Look kid," Jetfire started to say when she held up her hand.

"No, Jetfire," she stated calmly, "let them come."

Side Swipe's face split into a smile before he saluted. "I'll do my best, mother!" He stated proudly.

"Yeah, me too," Hot Shot agreed as he saluted.

"I can't carry all of you!" Jetfire growled in exasperation.

"We don't weight that much!" Hot Shot snapped, folding his arms over his chest.

"Fine!" He snapped in reply, scooping them all up and throwing the two mechs onto his back before he took off. "Primus, why did you spark these two again?"

"Shut up, Jetfire," Side Swipe chirped angrily.

"This coming from the guy who still chirps," Jetfire sneered.

"That's enough," she ordered, sending them all into a lapse of silence.

They stayed quiet until they reached the outer atmosphere of Earth, where they could start to see the front of the Decepticon's ship. Hot Shot gulped audibly while Side Swipe nervously began to talk about the weather. Jetfire, being the jerk that he was at the moment, started to complain about how he knew he shouldn't have brought them. After the got closer and the complaining increased, she finally told him to shut up before she did it for him.

"Almost there," Hot Shot stated as Jetfire flew closer to the ship just as the shield around it dropped.

"Focus on getting the front of that ship broken off," Optimus ordered.

"How do you know that's where they're hiding the Hydra cannon?" Side Swipe asked.

"Easier to get a good shot at anything from the front," she replied matter-of-factly.

"Point taken," Side Swipe chirped as they were dropped off to begin shooting the front of the ship.

They immediately started to shoot the ship, tearing the metal back in an attempt to get at the Minicons inside. They heard shouting from Jetfire and looked up just in time to avoid getting shot by Demolisher. Hot Shot growled as he started shooting at the red and green tank, Jetfire swooshing by overhead to get rid of Cyclonus. Optimus and Side Swipe returned to trying to get into the interior of the ship while the others kept the Decepticons busy.

"Must capture Prime and Side Swipe," Tidal Wave's voice echoed around them.

Side Swipe looked up and yipped in surprise before she glanced up. She cursed slightly as she grabbed onto her son and pulled him out of Tidal Wave's reach as the giant mech lunged for them. He turned slowly towards them, still canting the same thing over and over.

"Talk about a one-track mind," Side Swipe joked weakly as he darted out of the purple and gray mech's reach.

She chuckled in agreement before she darted past him to land a shot to his back, causing the large mech to snarl in rage. Side Swipe shot at him, drawing his attention away from her, giving her a silent signal to keep working. She nodded, her spark telling her son to be careful, before she started blowing the front part of the ship apart. She heard Starscream shout something, and then a roar as Tidal Wave tumbled backwards, but she forced herself to continue to fire on the ship; she had to save those Minicons.

"Optimus, look out!" Hot Shot shouted behind her.

As she lifted her head to see what she had to avoid, clawed fingers wrapped around her throat, tossing her away from the part of the ship she had been tearing into. She hit the ground and rolled back to her feet, glaring at the owner of the claws, meeting the blood red optics and the fang-revealing smirk of her mate. He chuckled as he took a step forward, his cannon trained on her just incase she tried to attack, and she growled as she took a step backwards.

"Well, well, Optimus," he chuckled as he gazed at her, "I'll admit I'm surprised to see you, but I can't say I'm disappointed," he added. She snorted before she began to circle back towards the nose of the ship. "I see you're interested in my super weapon, care for a little interesting fact?" He asked.

"I don't have time for you games," she replied coldly before she suddenly found herself pinned down.

"I'll tell you anyways," he whispered into her audios. "The Hydra cannon was originally going to destroy Jetfire and the other Autobots that stood in my way. But now, oh, now it's going to destroy the entire Earth, along with your precious Autobot lackeys."

"You wouldn't dare," she snarled as she glared up at him.

He chuckled before he touched his helm, activating his com. link. "Thrust, fire the cannon at the Earth. Make sure it's on its highest setting," he ordered, causing her optics to widen in horror. "Get ready for the fireworks," he added to her with a chuckle.

She stared up at him, thinking about all of the innocent lives that were about to be snuffed out. She couldn't let that happen, there were people down on that little blue planet that were counting on her, without even realizing it, to keep them alive and safe. She struggled against Megatron, startling him slightly, and managed to get her feet settled against his stomach. With a grunt, she kicked him off, sending him skidding backwards along the exterior of the ship. She rolled to her feet and took off towards the end of the ship, hoping to disengage the weapon before it actually fired. But, as she ran, she felt the ship vibrating under her feet and she knew that she wouldn't be able to do it; she had to change the target, and the only liable target…was her.

With a grunt, she launched herself into space, propelling herself forward and getting in front of the ship. She frowned before she started shooting at the opening that was forming at the front, hoping to make the front collapse before the blast could come. When she saw the inside beginning to glow a dark yellow, she prayed on the Matrix that she could protect the ones that she had swore she would. She felt the Matrix of Leadership stir within her chest, forming a small shield around her.

She watched as the beam blasted towards her and, on instinct, she brought her arms up to protect her face. She felt the beam hit the shield that the Matrix had created around her and she slid backwards slightly from the sheer amount of force behind the beam. She looked up and squared her shoulders, spacing her hands out to try to push against the beam; she didn't want to slide back any farther than she already had.

"I need more power," she whispered as the beam continued to push her backwards. "Please, just a little more…just to keep this beam at bay."

She felt the shield increasing around her, growing and pulsing around her, but at the same time, she felt it draining her. She understood now; the shield was an extension of herself, and since she needed more power behind it to hold off the laser beam, she was draining her own life force. She swallowed before she put a bit more power into the shield, seeing bits of her armor flake off around her, causing her fuel tank to turn. She felt the beam pushing against her again and she steeled herself before she put every last ounce of power that was within her frame into dissipating the beams focus, sending the light out into the vastness of space. She hovered there panting as her colours drained away.

She could hear Hot Shot, Side Swipe, and Jetfire shouting with joy on the ship, but Megatron was voicing his worry down the bond. He didn't like how her colours were gone and she didn't have the strength to tell him to stop worrying. She took one last look around her before she lost her grip on herself and her body reacted violently. She felt her face shatter, cracking and revealing the inner mechanisms, earning a horrified gasp from Side Swipe somewhere on the ship. Then, similar to a nuclear reaction, her body exploded, the white metal and wiring shooting out and dissipating the same way the Hydra cannon beam had.

"No…it can't be," Megatron's voice echoed around her. "OPTIMUS!"

"OPTIMUS!" Jetfire shouted, closely followed by Hot Shot and Side Swipe's desperate cries.

She felt a set of arms wrap gently around her and she twitched slightly in reply. _'Come,'_ a voice whispered, _'you must rest.'_

'_But…my sons…,'_ she protested.

'_They will be fine, Optimus Prime,'_ the voice whispered again. _'You can rest for a short while; I will awaken you when you can return.'_

'_Who…are you?'_ She asked.

A soft chuckle met her audios, differently pitched than the voice. _'Call us old friends, youngen,'_ a gruff voice stated.

'_Ironhide!'_ She gasped in surprise. _'But…you're…dead.'_

'_Course I'm dead, why else do ya think I'd be talkin' to ya?'_ Ironhide's voice chuckled.

'_Wait…does that mean…?'_ She began to ask.

'_Who else but your favourite cousins to help watch over you while you sleep?'_ A new voice asked, deep and full with a touch of arrogance.

'_Sunstreaker!'_ She shouted before the first voice snorted.

'_What? I'm not recognizable?'_

'_Sideswipe! Frag it, I missed you guys!'_ She laughed.

'_Yeah, we missed you too,'_ Ironhide chuckled before his hand stroked her helm. _'I have ta thank ya for namin your kid after me; a real honor.'_

'_I wanted your memory to live on…same with Side's…sorry Sunny…but I didn't want my kid to be arrogant and stuck up like his cousin,'_ she joked.

'_Thanks, I love you too!'_ Sunstreaker's voice joked before she felt his face pressed against hers. _'You know, Optimus, you always were my favourite cousin…it's too bad really about this war…white really was never your colour.'_

She groaned before she shoved at the place where she guessed her cousin was. _'It's cream!'_

'_That's white, sweetspark,'_ he replied, tapping her nose.

'_Shut up,'_ she grumbled before she leant her head back against Sideswipe's chest. _'You'll wake me up…right?'_ She asked.

'_Course,'_ Ironhide grunted.

'_Thanks,'_ she murmured before she passed out, letting her dreams carry her away.

**Author's note:** So sorry for the wait everyone. And yes, Thrust is gay in here. Why? Because his giggle drives me crazy so he gets to be gay. Tidal wave proves that he has nothing else in his head but direct orders (which is going to make him love Megatron come _Energon)_, but who needs to get technical? So, Optimus is dead...or is she? I decided to explain some reasoning behind the choice of names for her sons, which I'll try to do better next chapter with some old memory of hers. So, please leave a review before you leave so I know what you liked, thank you.


	24. Dream State

Chapter 23 Dream State

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She grunted as she hit the floor of the training area and rolled away as a foot slammed down where she had been a moment before. She could taste oil and energon in her mouth when she swallowed; she must have bit through her glossa on impact. She heard a snarl above her and rolled back to her feet in time to avoid her attacker's clawed hands as they slammed into the ground. The mech turned to look at her, red optics flashing in amusement as she panted slightly.

"You're getting faster, Oriona," the mech commented with a chuckle.

"And you're getting stronger," she panted as she glanced up at the purple and green mech.

"Naturally," he chuckled before he lunged at her again.

She darted out of the way, somersaulting a few times before landing on her hands and using them to send her back the way she came. She slammed her foot into the mech's chassis, using it as a launch pad to flip over and carry her a good distance away. She grinned as the mech fell backwards and landed with a thud, sending shockwaves through the floor that made her whole body quake. The mech let out a low groan before sitting up slowly, energon trickling down his face; must have bitten his glossa when he went down.

"Are you planning on being a cyber-ninja or something?" the mech grunted.

"No, why?" she replied, rolling her weight around on her feet, getting ready to dart away again if she had to.

"Because you are using your acrobatic skills to kill me," he replied before he got to his feet in a flash and charged.

She yelped as she darted out of the way quickly, barely avoiding getting trampled under the much larger mechs feet. The giant mech spun around, skidding along the floor from his momentum and almost toppling over. She repressed her giggles as he started flailing his arms to remain upright; his upper body was still more developed than his lower body. He managed to remain upright, his face holding the faintest traces of a blush as he turned towards her. She cleared her throat, trying to keep from smiling.

"It wasn't that funny," he grumbled.

"You didn't see your face," she replied around a giggle.

"Shut up, Pax." He snapped as he charged again.

This time she didn't move as quickly and was slammed into the ground. Her head smashed into the ground and she felt the plating around her helm shatter on impact. She let out a gagging noise as the larger mech pinned her down, not realizing that she was seriously hurt.

"Pax?" his voice sounded above her. "Pax?!"

She was barely able to moan in reply to his questioning. She could feel energon oozing out of her shattered head and pooling around her. Clawed fingers lifted her head off the ground, causing her to cough uncontrollable and almost scream in agony, and a loud curse echoed around her.

"Get that medic brother of yours in here, Quickstart!" he roared.

"Skywarp, get Ratchet!" a female voice ordered before she felt another set of hands touching her helm. "Slaggit! What did you do?"

"I tackled her, that's it," he replied, his voice fading in and out of hearing, but she could detect the panic that was invading it.

"Maybe you should stop being so fragging rough! This is gym not a Pit fight where we are actually trying to kill each other!" Quickstart snarled somewhere to her right.

"I'm sorry, alright," he snarled in reply. "Maybe you high-classed snobs should get better armor!"

She whimpered slightly as those words tore through her spark. She felt something wrap lightly around her helm before a cold voice answered her sparring partner. "Maybe we wouldn't need better armor if you slum bots weren't so fragging aggressive," Quickstart replied.

She was silent at that moment, trying to bring air into her intakes even as she felt them beginning to shut down. A loud cracked echoed around them before Ratchet's voice cried out, "what the slag did you do this time, Megatron?!"

"I tackled her, that's it!" her sparring partner snapped back. "Primus, it isn't my fault that her high-class has improper armor!"

She felt skilled hands quickly wrapped something around her head to stop her from continuing to bleed. "Her armor cracked because she hit the ground with a tremendous amount of force," Ratchet stated as calmly as he could. "Whether or not you wish to accept that you injured her is superfluous. Skywarp, get your aft over here; she's lost enough energon as is and I don't have time to get her there on foot."

"What do you want me to do?" Skywarp's voice asked.

"Teleport us to the medbay," Ratchet spat. "You glitched fool, get moving!"

"Sorry, sorry," Skywarp squeaked before darkness enveloped her and she lost her grip on consciousness.

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She regained consciousness at the feeling of another hand on hers. She weakly onlined her optics and glanced beside her. The giant green and purple mech was sitting beside her, his gaze on the opposite wall, and his enormous hand hid her own from view. His mouth was moving and she was sure he was talking, but she couldn't hear a word he was saying. She ran a quick diagnostic scan on her systems and discovered that several areas of her central processor were damaged and prohibiting some basic functions from performing as they should have been. She clenched her fingers on the hand that was hidden under the mech's and almost laughed as he jumped in surprise.

His mouth moved, seeming like he shouted her name, but she was uncertain. She weakly lifted her free arm and tapped where her audios were, trying to point out that she was currently deaf. He gave a quiet huff before taking both of her hands and spelling out a message in her palms.

'You had us worried sick; Ratchet wasn't even sure you'd come out of your coma.'

She shifted slightly before glancing around for a data-pad; she didn't mind him writing in her palm but she didn't like the fact that her internal temperature kept spiking. She spotted one lying on the chair the mech had been sitting on and motioned for it. He picked it up and handed it to her, his red optics showing the barest amount of concern; he had learnt to hide his true emotions from everyone in order to stop himself from exploding so much and starting fights. She scribbled weakly on the data-pad before handing it to him.

'I'm still not out of it fully, but thank you for the concern. I did not think you would care about a high-classed snob.'

He read it quickly, wincing slightly before replying to it. He handed her back the data-pad, his mouth a hard line across his face. 'I didn't mean that. It was a spit of rage at your friend for blaming it on my heritage.'

'Quickstart has her brother's temperament; they both get it from their father,' she replied. 'She'll say the first thing that comes to mind and not care about how the other bot feels.'

'At least she doesn't throw wrenches.'

'Yeah; her weapon of choice is a spear. We're so much better off.'

'Point taken. We're screwed either way.'

'One is killing us with wrenches, the other is stabbing us with a huge spear.'

'Bet Thrust would love that.'

'Be nice, Thrust is sensitive about his sexuality.'

'And I'm sensitive about having a mech hitting on me."

'Well, he obviously thinks that the femme population in the school is right about your attractiveness.'

'Oh? Are you attracted to me as well?'

She paused, a faint blush crossing her face at his question. 'A bit,' she replied.

An amused smile crossed his face before he ducked a well aimed wrench. He stood up and began to try to placate an extremely irritated Ratchet as the white and red medic came storming over. She watched in amusement as the large mech took an unsure step backwards as Ratchet waved another wrench in his face. She giggled as her sparring partner ran for the door to avoid getting hit as Ratchet wound up to strike his face. He gave her a brief wave before vanished. Ratchet grumbled as he turned back to her to assess her damage.

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She glanced up from the table as her older cousins came charging into the cafeteria, yelling and whooping at the tops of their vocal processors. The twins were pretending to sword fight, clashing their swords against the other and hollering as loud as they could. Quickstart jumped in surprise before blinking and returning to her examination of the Seeker mech across the hall; those two ceased to amuse her anymore. Wingdagger had a tiny energon stick in her hand and was nibbling on it between shouting for Sideswipe to kick Sunstreaker's aft.

She rolled her optics in annoyance before going back to her ancient weaponry report that she had to finish for her uncle's class. Why Ironhide had to assign a report right when she was released from the med-bay was a mystery, but so was the working of her uncle's mind and he was infamous for reports. She ducked her head quickly as Sunstreaker's sword smashed into the table beside her, making all the other femmes scream. She pulled the large sword out of the table with some difficulty and tossed it back to her yellow cousin.

"Thanks Pax!" Sunstreaker shouted before their fight continued. "Have at ye, ye nave!"

"It's sad that they're Slummers," one femme commented, "they're so hot."

Oriona gave the femme a blank stare before shaking her head and going back to her report. "They aren't," she replied.

"Well they must be; they aren't wearing white," another femme commented.

"They hate the colour," Wingdagger replied. "Trust me, I heard Ironhide shouting at them during the breaks to stop painting their uniforms pink as a prank."

"Well, that explains a lot about you, know doesn't it?" another femme sneered.

"Huh?" Quickstart asked, pale blue optics flickering back to them.

"She's a Slummer too," the first femme snickered.

"Aren't you brilliant," Oriona replied before jabbing her stylus at the sparring brothers. "They live in upscale Iacon just down the road from me."

"Can't you take a joke, Pax?" the second femme asked, missing Wingdagger's searing gaze.

"When it's about my friends, no," she replied before collecting her things. "I have to meet with Flamewar for a project in Science; I'll see you later."

"See you Paxy," Wingdagger laughed as she jabbed her shoulder. "Say 'hi' to Flamer for me."

She nodded before heading for the library to meet with the tommech. Flamewar was one of those tough femmes that would fight rather than run and still stand on her own without any assistance. She admired her for that strength and wished she could do that, but she just wasn't built to fight anything off. She waved at the red, orange, and black femme as she entered the library, receiving an annoyed glare in return.

"Where a bow or something," she grumbled as Oriona say down. "I mistook three other femmes for you!"

Oriona laughed, "I could see that happening; I hate these uniforms."

"Then why wear them?" Flamewar asked as she gave her wings a stretch and handed the project over for her to edit. "They're so dull!"

"Because if I don't my dad will slaughter me," she replied as she changed a few words in the report to make the sentence flow better.

"Your dad's an aft," Flamewar snorted before fishing an energon bar out of her backpack.

"Tell me about it," she grumbled as she continued reading. "Did Starscream help you with this?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Because there is a huge word here that is almost eighteen letters long."

"Leave it to Screamer; I ask for a word to describe air pressure and he writes the biggest word he can think of!" Flamewar growled.

"Well, he is a science genius," Oriona replied as she added a sentence to explain what the word actually meant.

"Loser," she chuckled. "Hasn't even grown the bolts to ask Dag out."

"She's hard to talk to," Oriona replied as she added her diagrams to the project.

"Only when those whores are with her," Flamewar snorted bitterly.

She paused at the Seeker's harsh words but nodded. "We are rude."

"Not you," Flamewar chuckled. "Frag, you scare half of us by being so nice! Primus, Skywarp almost fell over when you said sorry for being in his way when he stepped on you!"

"I don't like what my uniform means; your lot's the ones that know how to live with each other," she replied.

"My lot?" she demanded.

"The Slummers; you guys have it," Oriona sighed. "You all form such tight bonds with each other that you have an extended family. Me? I can't trust my brother, my father's an abusive glitch-face that bullies everyone around, and my mom's a submissive chew toy."

"You have it easy," Flamewar growled. "Everything is given to you on a platter."

"And I'd give it up in a sparkpulse," Oriona replied. "I know almost nothing about the real world and my destiny is decided by my parents. That's no way to live."

Flamewar's face darkened for a moment before she nodded. "Our life isn't easy, but it makes us tough. We do anything to et what we want; that's why we're so violent. But, it's aristocrats like you that we admire. You are actually trying to make a difference in our world."

"I can't change anything thought," she sighed as she saved the contents on the data-pad.

"Maybe not on your own, but it's a start," Flamewar replied before standing up. "I'll see ya in class; later Pax."

She gave a brief wave before heading over to the shelves to find something read. She ran her hand over a few data-pads until her hand bumped into someone else's. "Sorry," she apologized, glancing over at Arcee.

"It's okay," she replied before grinning. "You here about what Sunny and Sides did to Hot Rod yesterday?"

"No, what?"

"Strung him up by his feet in the cafe then started beating him with sticks screaming 'piñata'," Arcee chuckled.

Oriona burst out laughing, clutching her mid-riff to hold herself up. The image forming in her mind was just too priceless. "Ironhide must have had a planet!"

"You missed it! It was so funny!" Arcee laughed. "And he kept squeaking when he got hit."

They both continued to laugh as they took their data-pads to the check-out. They parted company after Oriona collected her things and the bell sounded. "See ya in Law tomorrow," Oriona shouted as she darted away to reach the gym class on time.

"Almost late," Skywarp chimed as she used him as a crash mat.

"Still made it," she replied as she straightened up, dusting herself off.

Skywarp laughed slightly before falling silent as Scavenger came into view out of his office. He looked over the line that they formed as soon as they saw him, mentally taking notes on who was there and who wasn't. His optics hovered on her for a moment before moving on. "You have five minutes to put your stuff to the side and get ready for today's lesson," he stated as he folded his arms.

She quickly dropped her bad down beside Quickstart's, nodding to her as she gave Skywarp a dreamy look behind his back, before heading out to stretch. "Back on your feet?" a mech's voice rang out behind her.

She glanced at the mech over her should and bit back her grin and blush. "Yeah, I'm back," she replied.

The mech nodded, his red optics lingering on her for a moment. "So, partners again?" he asked.

"Sure thing," she nodded, unable to hold back her smile. "Unless we're wrestling, in which case it's a no."

He chuckled slightly before he turned around and stood up straighter. Scavenger waved his hand to show that he didn't have to salute, which was what he was about to do. "Good to see you're functioning properly, Oriona," he stated with a chuckle.

"Must have taken a while to clean the floor," she laughed nervously.

He shrugged before calling everyone over. "Now, I've had some complaints from creators about my teaching methods," this earned some snickers from the other students; Scavenger was notorious for falling asleep during classes. "Settle down, settle down, it isn't that funny. Also, in respect to out latest accident," he glanced at them and they both shifted, "I have been told to keep better medical supplies and to choose the partners personally."

"That's not fair!" Quickstart blurted out.

"It ain't right to punish us over an accident," Thundercracker argued.

"We choose our own partners," the large mech beside her growled. "That's the way it has always been."

"They should not be telling you how to do your job," Oriona snorted in disgust.

Scavenger chuckled as he motioned them to calm down. "How often have you known me to listen to the complaints? Nothing is going to change, rest assured, but please exercise a little more caution when you go with a partner; my poor spark can't handle the stress," he grinned as the class whooped. "Now, we're going to play Shotball. Megatron, Quickstart, Skywarp, Thundercracker, Pax, and Hound, you're one team. The rest of you are on the other side. Suit up and get ready to play."

They nodded before moving off to one section of the training field. "Hound, you're on defense with TC," the large mech stated.

"Who made you captain?" Hound asked with a slight frown.

"My name was said first," he replied. "Warp, you're goalie. And stay put this time; it isn't going to kill you if the ball hits you."

"Will if Quicky shoots it," Skywarp replied before he warped away to get the equipment.

"Quick, you're left wing, Pax, you're right wing," Megatron ordered.

"Taking center again?" Oriona asked, to which he nodded. "Don't trip."

He snorted slightly before Skywarp came back with everything for them, grinning sheepishly; must have knocked one of the other students over to get something. Quickstart picked up one of the Shotball sticks (a long pole with a hook on the end for holding the hole-covered ball in place while running and shooting it) and pointed it at the other team in a threatening manner. Oriona, Skywarp, Thundercracker, and Megatron snickered as the other team froze.

"First one to body check me gets this in the optic," she called to them, spinning the stick around a few times to emphasize her point.

The other team, made up of white uniformed students, blanched and whispered amongst themselves. Oriona snorted slightly before picking up one of the sticks and taking a few swings to see if it was light enough for her but still strong enough that it wouldn't snap when she went toe-to-toe with someone; the sticks were notorious for snapping in those situations. The rest of the team followed her lead, knowing that the best sticks meant that they could beat the other team, hopefully, but they really had the skill that the other team didn't. Quickstart had one of the hardest throws around and always aimed low when fighting for the ball; Skywarp was the best goalie in the entire school; Thundercracker had only ever let three balls get by him in a game and most of the time knocked the ball back to the center line before any of them had realized it; Hound was like his namesake and would chase the other players down before they ever came into shooting distance of the net; Megatron was the most aggressive player to ever attend their school and was constantly shoving the other team aside to let the smaller and more agile players get the ball—even he admitted that he wasn't the most coordinated player around—so that they could score; and Oriona had a good balance of speed, stamina, and skill and was renowned for slipping by the other team without them noticing her and scoring constantly. While there were other talents in their school, for their team at the moment they were the best and could easily beat the other team.

Finally, one of the other team's players stepped forward. "Care to join us, Pax? We are obviously superior to them as we do not have aggression issues," the mech sneered, earning enraged growls from the three other mechs and a dark glare from Hound.

Oriona glared at them, enraged that they had even dared to say such things about the others. She snorted angrily before taking her position beside Megatron. "Then it will do us good to wipe the floor with your faces," she replied before pointing her stick at them. "Bring it!"

The rest of the team whooped in agreement with her as Scavenger walked over with the game ball. "Keep your feet on the ground, Seekers; no flying," he ordered. "And keep it clean; no elbows to the face, Megatron, and no hitting the mechs where it hurts, Quickstart," both of them snickered as Scavenger gave them glances, "other than that, have fun," he added before he gave the ball a toss.

Oriona counted off three seconds before Megatron took a step forward and smashed his shoulder into the other center player's chest. He fell back with a gasp of pain, giving Quickstart enough time to dart forward and snag the ball. The other team was quick to respond, quickly chasing after her, but there was a reason she was called "Quickstart"; when she started running she was almost impossible to catch for the first mile or two. She was down to the other end of the field in no time before she wound up and fired the ball past the stunned goalie.

"Whoooo! Goal!" she shouted as she darted back to their side.

"Nice," Oriona laughed as she stopped beside her.

Megatron grunted his approval, rubbing his shoulder slightly where the armor had dented; turns out he had put a little too much power behind his shoulder check. He chuckled as the other team came charging down the field with the ball. "Shall we, femmes?" he asked.

"Allow me," Oriona laughed before she charged.

She ducked under one of the other mech's swipe at her head, hooked her stick expertly into the ball, and yanked it off. The others let out surprised yelps as she rolled back to her feet and took off down the field. She could hear them gaining on her for a moment, but a loud "opps" from Quickstart, followed by several crashes let her know that they were temporarily distracted. She watched one of the defensemen hold his stick across his chest and try to block her, but she plowed her shoulder into his midsection just below the stick and sent them both toppling over. She rolled back to her feet and whipped the ball as hard as she could at the net, grinning when the goalie fell just below it, and it soared in over his head.

She smirked as she headed back to center field, knocking sticks with Quickstart as they stood waiting for the other team to recover again. Megatron chuckled as they dragged their defensemen off to the side and tried to revive him after his fall.

"Nice," Quickstart chuckled. "My brother is going to have a fit after this class."

She laughed before the game started up again. After about an hour and a half of playing, Scavenger announced the end of the game and Oriona, Megatron, Quickstart, Thundercracker, Hound, and Skywarp's team won. They all whooped, punching the air in triumph as the other team sulked in defeat. Oriona and Quickstart squealed as they were picked up and hoisted onto the mechs' shoulders, Oriona on Megatron's and Quickstart on Skywarp's. They laughed as they pumped their sticks into the air.

"We're unstoppable!" Skywarp cheered.

"Best team on Cybertron!" Thundercracker hooted.

"Nothing can defeat us!" Megatron roared.

Oriona laughed as she leant slightly on Megatron's head to look down at him. "Guess we can work pretty well together, huh?" she asked.

He smirked slightly before chuckling. "We're the strongest team when you and I are on the same side," he agreed.

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"_Time to wake up, Optimus,"_ Sideswipe's voice whispered softly into her audios.

"_The Autobots need you again,"_ Sunstreaker agreed.

"_How do I go back?"_ she asked as she leant heavily on Sideswipe's chest.

"_The Minicons are already working on that,"_ Ironhide replied.

"_Listen for them, they will call you,"_ all three of them whispered before their presence faded away from her.

She lay there floating, unsure of where she was but aware of the eternal darkness that surrounded her. She didn't dare move until a small pinprick of light broke through. _"This way,"_ many voices called to her. _"Follow us."_

She reached her hand towards the light and felt almost a dozen smaller hands grip her arm. She felt them tugging her gently forward and more hands joined, some pulling her while others pushed on her back as the light intensified. She felt energon rush through her tubing with a jolt as the light exploded around and her optics powered up to accept the world around her.

"Optimus!" she heard Hot Shot shout from somewhere to her right.

She glanced over and narrowed her optics as she took in the scene. Megatron had Hot Shot pinned down to an asteroid, both of them staring at her with a mixture of shock and relief. She snorted before she forced herself to move forward, somehow already knowing where she was even though she was in the middle of space.

"Release him, Megatron," she ordered.

Megatron released him without a second thought and turned to face her dead on. "My fight is with you, Prime, not the child," he replied calmly before he lifted off to meet her.

They locked hands and struggled to overpower the other, twirling around in some twisted dance routine. Megatron's familiar sneer was softer somewhat, his cold optics flashing with passion and vigor as they looked each other in the face. She could almost feel his want for her pulsate around them as they struggled, and yet, she didn't feel as frightened as she use to.

"You went into a depression," she commented, feeling the negative feelings circulating around her spark but not penetrating.

"You died," he stated, as if that was the answer to everything. "The world had no more meaning."

"The war is your meaning," she stated darkly. "That's all you care about."

"The war is to make Cybertron a better place, but it is not my meaning for existence," he stated softly, his voice loosing the cold undertone as it softened into a whisper that she almost had to strain to hear. "You, Oriona, are my reason for living."

She blinked before they broke apart as red lasers started to fly past them. Megatron growled as he turned his head to glare at a huge ship that was heading straight for them. He glared at her for a moment, his gaze holding no real malice for her.

"This isn't over yet, Prime," he growled. "We'll meet again soon," he added before he warped away.

She sighed softly before she felt Hot Shot crash into her and hug her tightly. She ran her hand over his helm soothingly as the huge ship came to a stop beside them, the docking bay door opening to allow them entry. Hot Shot led her inside, almost dragging her down the hallways towards the command center of the ship.

"Optimus is back!" he shouted as he charged through the doors. "She's alive!"

There were shouts of joy before she was tackled by four other mechs and hugged tightly. She almost lost the feeling in her feet, but she laughed as she tried to wrap her arms around the bulky bodies of her team mates. She felt a head nuzzling her chest and she looked down, expecting to see Jetfire, but instead Side Swipe's huge, innocent blue optics stared up at her, brimming with optical fluid and trickling down his face.

"You're back," he murmured happily as he rubbed his head against her again.

She smiled behind her face mask before she leant forward to nuzzle him gently. "Yes, little one, and I'm not going away this time," she promised.

He sniffled softly before nodding. She nuzzled him softly before Jetfire managed to rub his cheek against hers, shoving Red Alert out of the way so he could hold on to her. She chuckled before nuzzling him back, letting her thoughts organize themselves into a manner that she could understand. She was alive after the blast from the Hydra Cannon, they were heading back to Cybertron, Megatron experienced a depression over her death, and now everything was going to go back to normal; or at least, as normal as things ever were around here. But one thing that stood out in her mind frightened her greatly and she forced it down to focus on everything around her.

Something was going to happen that would force her and Megatron to cooperate as a team. The worse part was that that something was going to be worse than the Decepticons, something much, much worse.


	25. Homecoming

Chapter 24 Homecoming

Side Swipe shivered as they stepped onto the barren planet's surface. Hot Shot patted his shoulder reassuringly before pulling his gun out. The faint distress signal that they had picked up was stronger now that they were on the planet's surface and not some fifty thousand miles above the atmosphere. There was a good chance that it was merely a Decepticon trap, but they would risk the chance anyway; it very well could be a genuine call for help from a fellow wayward Autobot. Optimus gave the signal to move out and they all crept forward, heading in the direction of the signal's origin.

"Decepticons incoming," Red Alert warned them as the tracer in his hand started beeping spasmodically.

"Prepare for battle," she ordered as Starscream dove at them, firing his null rays rapidly.

They split up, planning to take the Decepticons out one at a time to increase their chances of getting away in one piece. Optimus and Megatron crashed head on, sending them both sprawling in the sand on their backs. She tried to get up, only for her shoulders to be shoved deeper into the sand, claws digging in lightly as Megatron kept her pinned. She groaned weakly in pain before giving his leg a hard kick.

"This is hardly the place," she growled at him, vision slightly blurry from the landing.

"Who says I was considering it?" he asked with a chuckle.

"You have a one-track processor," she replied with a small laugh. "And you are extremely predictable."

He smiled down at her before Hot Shot tackled him form the side. She was back on her feet in an instant, shooting at Demolisher as he tried to keep Red Alert pinned down. The medic nodded to her before the tracer started pinging again, drawing everyone's attention away from their fights. While he was distracted, Megatron kicked Hot Shot off of him, allowing the giant to get back to his feet. They all began to look around, searching for the source of the distress signal as it got closer and closer.

"There!" Side Swipe shouted, pointing to where a dust cloud was moving towards them.

They waited for the distressed mech to get closer to them before they moved. However, the incoming mech made it known that he wasn't friendly very quickly. Cyclonus was shot out of the air to crash into Demolisher, his rotors twisted and bent form the laser fire. They stared on in shock as the mech stopped and transformed not far away from them. Optimus felt herself freeze as she stared at the mech in pure terror.

"No," she whispered, unconsciously taking a step back, "no."

The mech looked like a blown up version of her, covered in black and grey armor and blood red optics filled with hatred and evil. The mech cackled before looking directly at her. "Hello little Ory," he cooed. "My, my, you've grown since we last saw each other."

She felt frozen to the spot while the mech laughed at her. Then he charged, a feral, crazed look in his optics, and he pulled a gun out of his subspace. She couldn't move, her limbs frozen in place as he got close. She could hear the others shouting at her to move, to shoot him, to do something, but all she could do was stare on in terror.

"Back off, Nemesis!" Starscream shouted before he smashed into the mech's side. "You're interfering with Decepticon business; such actions are punishable by death!"

The mech stumbled away before turning towards Starscream. "Well, well, if it isn't the little Seeker punk," he sneered as he stood up straight.

Starscream readied his wing blade, glaring at the mech. "Still sore about us throwing you out of Kaon?" he asked.

"Silence, you useless Seeker!" Nemesis shouted before charging.

He caught the smaller mech around the waist and tackled him to the ground. Nemesis sat up and began to repeatedly punch Starscream in the face and chest, howling at the top of his vocal processor. A cry of rage tore from her at the sight and before she had even processed the thought, she had slammed her foot into his side and sent him flying. He rolled back to his feet, growling angrily at her from where he stood. She squared her shoulders and widened her stance, ready for him to attack again.

Three laser blasts tore into him at that moment, blasting his left arm off. He growled in pain as the smoke drifted away, but it faded as the cables hanging from his shoulders expanded, coiled, and reformed the arm that had been destroyed.

"How?!" she gasped.

"Surprised, Ory?" he sneered. "You'll be even more surprised when I tear your precious Hot Shot limb from limb!" he bellowed before he charged towards the smaller mech, pit-bent on following out on his promise.

"Don't even think about it," Megatron snarled as he fired on him, determined to keep his sparkling out of harms way.

Nemesis darted away, narrowly avoiding the lasers, and turning on Megatron with flashing optics. "So, the faker and sparkling stealer has joined the fray," he growled.

Megatron snorted before turning his gun on him. "Shut up," he spat before charging it up.

"Fool!" he laughed before charging forward, grabbing Megatron's hip-gun, and ripping it off.

Megatron roared in pain before taking a swipe at the black mech's face, missing by mere centimeters. Nemesis laughed as he shoved the larger mech to the ground, ready to destroy the one responsible for his humiliation. Hot Shot and Demolisher attacked at the same time, struggling to keep the larger mech down. With a grunt, he threw Demolisher off, shooting him repeatedly in the stomach to make sure he stayed down. He tossed Hot Shot aside into a jutting rock, impaling his leg and making sure the smaller mech was not going to move away. He turned his wrist guns on him, only for Red Alert to charge into him from behind.

"Medic!" he roared as he grabbed Red Alert by the shoulders and threw him as hard as he could at the ground, shattering his visor and windshield and snapping his gun arm. "You have sealed your fate!"

"Don't!" Optimus snarled, snapping out of her daze at last. "If you harm another mech here, you will pay dearly."

"Very well," Nemesis replied before spinning on her. "But that leaves you free to attack!"

She took a half step back before looking at the sky as green lights began to form around them. "No more violence," a small voice whispered before the injured mechs glowed.

Nemesis snarled as the glow subsided while Optimus gasped in awe. Starscream sat up, blinking silver optics out of a red face at his blue paintjob. "I look like Thundercracker," he commented.

Demolisher; now red and green; sat up fully healed and, surprisingly, offered a hand to a red Hot Shot. Red Alert stood up, new colour scheme gleaming in the sun, his visor, windshield and arm healed. Megatron sat up slower, his new light purple, red, and yellow paintjob startling Optimus for a moment. He stood up before glaring at Nemesis, who now looked terrified.

"Concentrate your firepower on him," Optimus shouted, aiming her wrist cannons. "Megatron, stop glaring and get ready!"

"You don't order me around, Optimus Prime," he shouted back, a sneaky grin on his face. "And it's Galvatron now."

Optimus gave him an incredulous look before everyone fired on Nemesis. He shrieked in pain before his body exploded, dust drifting away as the lasers vanished on impact. Galvatron laughed at the victory until a pole hit him in the head.

"Ow!" he growled before staring down at Optimus in shock. "What was that for?!"

"What do you think?!" she snapped. "Galvatron? What the slag is wrong with you?! Colour change does not opt for a name change!"

He ducked another swing from her make-shift bat, wondering where she had found in anyways. "Oh, is that so?" he asked. "You sure seemed fine with it when it was your name, Optimus Prime," he snapped.

"I got an upgrade!" she snapped, knocking his feet out from under him. "Not a freaking colour change!"

He grabbed the pole as she brought it down at his face, throwing her off balance when he pulled it back. She squeaked before falling on top of him, her face smacking into his chest. They both froze, realizing what position they were in, and Optimus' face began to turn red. She struggled to stand up, both of them too disoriented at their position and how close they were to each other to move properly. Red Alert and Side Swipe helped her up, the latter giving him a nervous glance as Starscream helped him back to his feet, the former snickering at the Decepticon leader.

"Well, better luck next time, Prime," Galvatron chuckled before the Decepticons warped away.

"Slagger," she muttered as she straightened up.

Side Swipe nuzzled her, mumbling as he hugged her tightly; no doubt the battle had terrified him. She hushed him, hugging him back, and rocking him in her arms. "Are…are the Decepticons going to join us soon?" he asked softly so that no one else overheard.

She looked down at her son, his blue optics shining up at her innocently. Did he know that she and Megatron (Galvatron, whatever he called himself now) had been talking a lot through their bond lately? Perhaps, or maybe he took how they were acting towards each other during the fight as a sign of change. Either way, Side Swipe knew something was up; both leaders knew that something was coming and they'd have to join forces. Megatron, Galvatron, whatever, had wanted her to join him immediately, but she had told him that it wasn't the time.

"Eventually," she replied as she stroked his helm.

Side Swipe smiled weakly before pulling away and looking at the sky. He waved to Blur as he brought the ship down to them, finally able to find them after Red Alert's tracer broke. Jetfire was quick to greet them once Blur had landed and opened the docking hatch, checking Optimus over for any damage. Hot Shot looked back at her before frowning.

"Who was that mech?" he asked as they walked into the command center.

She sighed before looking out the main window as they left the planet's surface. "He was called Nemesis after he was made governor of Kaon. Megatron and his small forces of Decepticons drove him out just before the wars began," she replied. "And, unfortunately, he is also my father; I think the Matrix was insulting me when it based my upgrade on him."

"He's…my grandfather?!" Hot Shot yelped as his optics widened.

"Now he is dead," she replied simply.

"Why didn't you tell us that your father was alive?" Side Swipe asked.

"I didn't know he was alive," Optimus replied. "I was personally hoping that he had been killed after the Decepticons took Kaon."

"He's gone now," Red Alert stated before returning to his post.

She nodded before following Side Swipe over to his station. "Set up a com-link with Autobot command in Iacon; I want them ready to meet us when we get there," she ordered.

"Right," Side Swipe chimed before tapping away at the keyboard.

She stroked his helm in praise, smiling when he leant into her hand. He was openly affectionate towards her which was welcoming in the war. He'd have to go back to treating her as a commanding officer when they got back to Cybertron, but there wasn't any rush just yet. She enjoyed her sons calling her "mom" rather than "Optimus Prime, ma'am". There was a beep before the computer screen was filled with an image of a stern looking mech.

"Prime?" the mech asked curiously, tipping his green helm.

"Kup," she greeted with a nod. "I'm assuming that Ultra Magnus is out?"

"Trying to catch Wingdagger," he chuckled. "Got him again with that paint."

"She still has that stash of pink paint?" she asked with a chuckle. "Primus, I've got to talk to her about that."

"It's a good moral booster," he chuckled. "So, what can I do for you, Prime?"

"Have the landing pad ready for us at the Iacon base," she stated in her commanding voice. "We'll be landing with the next couple of hours."

"Did you win on Earth?" he asked hopefully.

"No, the Decepticons are coming back as well," she sighed.

His blue optics softened slightly before he smiled. "He'll come around, don't worry," he stated. "He's just stubborn, like a certain femme commander I know."

She snorted at him before he saluted and cut the link. "I can't believe he just compared you to Megatron," Side Swipe chimed.

"He's old and crazy," she chuckled after stroking his helm, "but he has amazing insight."

Side Swipe blinked at her before shrugging and returning to his work. Jetfire finally moved forward and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. He buried his face into her neck and sighed heavily as he pulled her closer.

"We need some quiet time," he whispered before leading her away.

She allowed him to lead them towards his quarters, knowing that he wanted to interface. She felt a pinprick of annoyance from Galvatron's link, but sent a gently pulse to him, reminding him of the femmes that he had brought to his quarters during the war. He backed away from her presence and returned to whatever he was doing on his own ship. Jetfire walked into the room, ripping his facemask off as he placed her on the berth.

"What's wrong?" she asked as she took her facemask off and set it in her subspace.

"You and Megatron," he growled. "Sorry, _Galvatron,_" he sneered.

She glanced at him curiously before he started struggling to get out of his armor. She lifted an optic ridge before unlocking her abdominal plating and dropping it off the side of the berth. There was a thud as Jetfire fell off the berth, struggling with his chest plate. She shook her head before leaning over, kissing his cheek, and lifting it off of him without any trouble.

"How many times did he get stuck in his own armor?" he asked bitterly as he got back onto the berth.

"A few times," she replied as she took her leg plating off.

"What plating?"

"Pelvic," she smirked. "Had it latched on too tightly and fell off the berth cursing up a storm."

"Must have been a riot," he growled.

"It was humorous, but it is over," she replied with a shake of her head. "I thought we needed time alone?"

He glared at her before clenching his fists. "Is he listening in?" he demanded. "He's laughing at me, isn't he?"

"Galvatron is doing something else," she replied bluntly before she unclipped her breast plate.

"What?"

"I don't know," she replied before throwing her breast plate at him. "Stop talking about him; it's freaking me out."

He blinked at her out of his left optic, her white breast plate dangling from his face and hiding his right one. He smirked before shaking his head and slinking over to her. He purred before burying his face into her chest, making her squeal before he started licking and sucking on the wires. She purred slightly, not entirely enjoying the action, but not entirely against it. Jetfire eventually moved lower to her stomach and then to the pelvic plating. He stared at it for a moment before reaching around her waist for the latch.

Galvatron's presence was suddenly there in her mind, begging her to stop Jetfire from continuing. She ignored him, leaning into Jetfire's hands, but he didn't go away. He kept begging her to stop, going on and on about something. She tried to focus, but then his voice took on a pleading tone and her focus slipped.

'_What?!'_ she snapped as Jetfire's hand traced the inside of her thigh, causing her to purr.

'_Don't mate with him,'_ he begged, his voice actually sounding pitiful; Megatron/Galvatron and pitiful did not belong in the same sentence.

'_We're interfacing, just like you do with any femme you want,'_ she replied coldly.

'_You think he'll stop there?'_ he asked. _'Oriona, please, think! You've denied him for as long as the war has been going on! He's going to just take it eventually!'_

'_Jetfire would never do that,'_ she retorted, not even responding to Jetfire's touches anymore.

'_Neither would I,'_ he whispered, _'and look at what I did to you.'_

She froze for a moment before growling. _'How dare you compare him to you!'_ she spat.

'_Oriona,'_ he moaned, his voice filled with despair, _'think! Primus gave you a CPU; use it!'_ There was a brief pause before he sent a wave of worry to her. _'I fear for you, Oriona; I fear because I can see it unfolding before you while you remain oblivious.'_

She was about to snap back but stopped when she felt Jetfire's hands on her chest, searching for the top of her spark compartment. She yelped and jerked away, giving Jetfire an incredulous look. "What are you doing?" she demanded.

"Opening your spark compartment," he replied innocently.

"Why?"

"Because we are bonding," he replied, missing her look of horror. "I've decided that the only way you'll be free of Galvatron is if we bond."

"No!" she shouted, bringing her knees up to her chest in defense. "Not while I still have a choice."

"What? You want to be mated to him?" he snarled in insult.

"I don't want to be mated!" she shouted without thinking. "Not to him, not to anyone!" she added, feeling Galvatron cringe.

Jetfire glared at her before getting up. "Fine," he growled before pointing at her armor. "You can leave."

She would have argued that they could still interface, but she stood up and collected her armor. She set it all back on properly, double-checking the latches to make sure nothing fell off, before walking out the door without a glance back. Galvatron stayed with her, sending wave after wave of comfort, but she could sense the hint of smugness from him.

'_Go ahead and say it,'_ she snapped.

'_Say what?'_

'_I told you so.'_

'_Considering the situation, I do not feel like it,'_ he replied gently.

'_Amazing,'_ she sneered, _'considering your personality.'_

He sighed as she walked into her quarters. _'Your password…is there something special about it?'_ he asked.

'_It's Hot Shot's creation day,'_ she replied as she lied down on her berth.

He chuckled before she felt him tugging her away. She sighed before closing her optics, letting him pull her back into the safe region of their sparks. His arms wrapped tightly around her, drawing her up against his chest before he buried his face into her neck. She smiled before onlining her optics to stare up at him. She frowned slightly, not really sure if she liked his new colour scheme.

'_That is a horrible shade of purple,'_ she commented.

'_Looks better than white,'_ he mumbled into her neck.

'_It's cream,'_ she moaned.

'_It's white._

'_Cream!'_

'_White!'_

'_Cream!'_

'_It's creamy white,'_ he snorted before pinning her down. _'Either way, light purple looks better.'_

'_Says you,'_ she grumbled before he licked her chest plate.

'_And I'm always right,'_ he purred.

'_No,'_ she squealed, squirming underneath him, _'you were wrong about Hot Shot.'_

'_One thing,'_ he laughed.

'_And the war,'_ she giggled as she hugged him, rubbing against him to make him moan. _'And my identity, and….'_

'_Oh shut up,' _he moaned, his body shuddering as electricity crackled along his leg.

'_You get riled up easily,'_ she chuckled.

'_You're no different,'_ he countered as the electricity traveled up her leg, making her moan in pleasure.

She nuzzled him gently, earning a purr from the large mech. _'I miss you,'_ she whispered. _'I…I hate fighting you.'_

He held her close as he sparked every now and again. _'I miss you too, my love,'_ he whispered as his pelvic plating melted away, letting his sparking body part release itself into the surrounding "air". _'Stupid overexcited tube,'_ he grumbled as he pulled back to let it calm down, the wires surrounding the tubing standing straight up and withering.

'_Are you electrocuting yourself on your ship?'_ she giggled.

'_No, I took it off already,'_ he replied.

'_What if someone walked in and saw you sparking?'_ she giggled.

'_I was having an erotic dream with a hot femme,'_ he smirked.

'_And if they ask who?'_

'_Then I'll tell them it was you in a pleasurebot's uniform with a whip and handcuffs, and you had me chained to my berth,'_ he replied with a smirk.

'_Oh come on! Like they'd actually believe that!'_ she snapped, her cheeks reddening.

He smirked before kissing her passionately, causing her to moan into his mouth. He deepened the kiss, slipping his glossa into her opened mouth, and exploring. She murmured softly before reaching up to hold his face, moving her mouth in time with his. He held her closer to him as his glossa started dancing around hers, enticing her into join him. When they pulled back, there was a thin string of saliva connecting their mouths. They smiled before wiping their mouths clean, not wanting to leave each other just yet, but knowing that they would have to.

'_I should get back,'_ she whispered sadly.

'_Agreed,'_ he sighed before nuzzling her as she started to head back. _'Oh, and Oriona?'_

'_Yes?'_ she asked.

'_I told you so,'_ he chuckled before vanishing.

'_Galvatron!'_ she groaned before onlining her optics. "You fragger," she grumbled.

'_But you love me,'_ he cooed before sending his love down the bond.

'_You hope,'_ she chuckled.

'_You're a horrible liar,'_ he chimed.

'_Better than you,'_ she retorted.

He laughed before sending a wave of affection to her. _'With that, I will not argue,'_ he purred.

She hummed softly before offlining her optics and curling up on her berth for recharge. Unknowingly, she was sleeping the same way she did when she shared a berth with Galvatron. On the Decepticon ship, Galvatron was also lying in the same manner, his arm wrapping around where her waist would be. A soft good-night to each other echoed down the bond before they dropped into recharge.

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"Mom… mom… mom!" Side Swipe whispered, gently shaking her arm. "Wake up!"

She groaned softly, onlining an optic to look at him groggily. His bright optics were filled with excitement and he seemed to be bouncing on the spot. He tugged on her arm again, causing her to grumble and sit up.

"What?" she asked.

"We're about to land," he replied, almost running around in his excitement. "Scavenger thinks you should be up before we land and knock you out of your berth."

"How long have I been out for?" she asked as she stood up slowly.

"Um, about eight hours," he replied.

"Long enough," she sighed before pausing to make sure her armor was still on and put her face mask back on.

"Yeah," he agreed before they headed for the command center. "Um, Jetfire's also pretty moody," he warned.

Optimus sighed in annoyance before they entered. Hot Shot gave her a wave from his station, almost purposely keeping it small to avoid attention; he was supposed to be paying attention to the elevation drop. Jetfire caught sight of her and his optics narrowed bitterly before walking over and hugging her.

"Hey babe," he greeted.

"Morning," she replied as she nuzzled him.

Galvatron's familiar snore filled her mind and she fought down the urge to facepalm. She sent a gentle prodding to him, hoping to wake him up before she got the urge to hack his com-link and broadcast it to the others. He snorted gently, allowing her to concentrate on her surrounding again as they entered Cybertron's atmosphere. Everyone braced for impact as Blur steered them towards Iacon headquarters, flying past smaller outposts where Autobot soldiers were cheering as they flew by. They touched down, jarring everyone around before the engines died, announcing that they were home.

"Single file mechs," she ordered before turning and heading for the exit ramp.

They fell into line behind her, the human children surrounded by the Minicons, who were beeping in excitement at the fact that they were home. When the ramp lowered, it revealed a cheering crowd of soldiers, all punching the air as they walked down towards them. Wingdagger raced forward out of the crowd, Padlock right behind her, before embracing Optimus tightly.

"Good to have you back, Commander," Wingdagger stated bas she pulled back and saluted.

"It's good to be back," Optimus replied after saluting her in return.

She nodded quickly before stepping aside to let Ultra Magnus and Kup greet her. They saluted, mild endearment in their optics before Kup clapped her shoulder.

"Welcome back, Prime," he greeted.

"Managed to hold everything together while I was gone?" she asked her younger cousin.

"Affirmative," Ultra Magnus replied before glaring at Wingdagger. "Even with a few set backs."

"Aw, but Magy, pink is so your colour," Wingdagger stated in an overly girly tone.

"I'll deal with her," Optimus laughed before heading towards the base. "Wingdagger, follow me please."

Wingdagger told Padlock to stick with Hot Shot before following. They walked down the hallway in silence, an almost uneasy feeling developing between them. They entered her office and Optimus told her to sit in the chair across from her.

"Why'd he leave?" she blurted out. "He promised me he'd come back."

"Wingdagger, what I have to say is a matter of utmost importance; it must never leave this room," she stated seriously.

The other femme's optics narrowed in confusion before nodding. "Pax?"

"Starscream volunteered for a dangerous undercover assignment," she stated, golden optics staring into red ones firmly. "He is risking his own neck to help us win."

"Why…didn't you tell me sooner?" she demanded.

"There was too great a chance that the Decepticons could hack into the communications," Optimus replied.

"What about Horns?" she asked, pointing at Optimus' chest plate. "Can't he…?"

"I can block the bond, Wingdagger," she replied. "If you want verifications, ask Starscream."

Wingdagger frowned before offlining her optics and focusing on her mate through their bond. Optimus waited patiently for her to come back from visiting her mate. It had been a long time since she had even bothered to open their bond up to talk to him and they had lots of making up to do. Tears leaked out of Wingdagger's optics before she onlined them, a thin veil of optical fluid covering the red lens. She wiped the tears away quickly before nodding to Optimus.

"My mate is extremely brave," she whispered proudly, her chest rising. "We'll see each other soon."

Optimus nodded before standing up and heading for the door. "We'll call him back when he feels it is safe to return to you; you know how his cousin will react when she finds out."

"Flamer will eat him for breakfast!" Wingdagger snickered.

Optimus laughed and nodded in agreement before both of them headed for the rec room to catch up.

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Galvatron sat down in his throne, rejoicing internally at the fact that they were home at last. Starscream stood facing him with the rest of the troops from Earth, waiting for permission to slip away to find family that were scattered around the base. The doors burst open before he could dismiss them and a red and black streak struck Starscream from behind, taking him out at the waist, and sending them both to the ground.

"Primus TC, you're a hard mech to find," Flamewar laughed as she snuggled against Starscream.

"Flamewar," Starscream growled as he tried to roll over, "you have two seconds to let go of me before I send you flying right back out that door."

"What?" she demanded angrily before letting the blue Seeker roll over. "Holy slag!" she screeched before leaping off of Starscream as fast as she could. "Ewewewew!"

"Just because I got repainted blue doesn't mean you can jump me from behind!" he snapped.

"I thought you were Thundercracker!" she snapped back, quickly regaining her composure and shoving herself into her taller cousin's face. "Frag, no one told me about colour changes!"

"Well maybe if you paid attention rather than grabbing onto Thundercracker's mechhood, you'd know," Starscream growled.

"Enough!" Galvatron shouted, causing both of them to freeze before snapping to attention; there was no way he was going to listen to two _Seekers_ fight with each other.

"Megatron," Flamewar crowed before walking forward, "great to see you're still online, sir! I thought for sure Cyclonus would drive you up a wall."

"He did," Galvatron replied before snorting. "And my name is Galvatron now, Flamewar."

"Galvatron?" she asked before wrinkling her nose. "What is wrong with you? Primus, you're bright freaking purple! What idiot handled your design?! I think you should get a refund."

"Flamewar," he growled before standing up, "you are trying my patience."

She barely flinched before crossing her arms over her chest. "Galvatron, do you want me to get Quick to get your old paint scheme out?" she asked.

"No, Flamewar," he replied through grit dental bands.

"Positive?" she teased before ducking as he shot at her. "Grouch." She smirked before grabbing Starscream's arm and heading for the door. "Come on, Inferno's been bugging me to get you for the past five minutes."

He blinked before keeping up with his cousin, both of them slipping back into a comfortable conversation before vanishing through the door. Galvatron was just getting use to the silence when an orange femme walked in, yellow optics narrowed in annoyance. Her orange paint was complimented by a soft mauve paint on her hips and chest, accenting her curves. In spite of the obvious interface-appeal, no one was dumb enough to mess with the smaller Decepticon; she took after her older Autobot brother a little too well, even engaging in learning to whip wrenches at pests. Yes, Ratchet had too much of an influence on his younger sister, but they were lucky to have the femme medic in their ranks; she could have easily followed Ratchet into the Autobots. She glanced around, resting her optics on Cyclonus for a moment.

"What's the deal?" she demanded as she strode forward. "Flamewar called saying someone needed new paint," she added before freezing and gawking at the Decepticon overlord. She blinked several times before rounding on Cyclonus with infuriated optics. "What did you do?" she growled.

"Nothing!" Cyclonus squeaked, shrinking away from the femme. "Honest!"

"They why are Megatron's colours all fragged up?" she growled as she strode over to him.

Galvatron groaned as Cyclonus fell over roaring with laughter; this was going to be a very long day.

**Author's note:** Before anyone spazzes on me for making Jetfire OOC with his actions, he's jealous of Megatron/Galvatron. Why? Optimus' focus and love has officially started to shift away from him. And yes, rather than Nemesis being some puppet, he is Unicron's puppet AND Optimus' daddy…I'm so twisted sometimes.


	26. Cybertron

Chapter 25 Cybertron

Galvatron yawned as he settled himself into his throne, throwing a glance at Thrust as he tapped away at the key board in front of one of the many monitors. It was a rather slow day for everyone, apart from the Seekers who were running up and down the hallways screaming for some odd reason; probably managed to get Thundercracker into a pink outfit or some other stupid prank. He sighed in annoyance when he heard Cyclonus and Skywarp go running by the room, laughing their fool heads off before a very pink Thundercracker went barreling after them, swears running out of his mouth faster than Galvatron could think. While it was humorous, he didn't understand why they had to keep making so many pranks on each other.

He rubbed his temples in thought for a moment before Thrust let out a confused sound. "What is it, Thrust?" he asked in annoyance; why did this mech have to make so many strange noises?

"Well sir, the spy-droid that we have in the Autobot's base in Iacon just picked up a very enraged scream," Thrust replied before Starscream and Flamewar walked in snickering.

Curiosity rising, he rose from his throne and walked over to the Conehead, looking at the screen he was indicating. Starscream and Flamewar appeared on either side of him, peering on curiously as Thrust brought the spy-droid in for a closer look at what had caused the disturbance. They blinked several times, watching an empty corridor leading into the recroom for several long moments until heavy footsteps filtered into the audio feed. Before Flamewar could voice her opinion on the cause of the noise, a large figure stormed into the recroom, making all four of them pause in surprise.

"Wingdagger, I'm going to kill you!" Optimus' voice bellowed.

"Go in?" Thrust asked.

"Go in," Galvatron replied.

The spy-drone flew into the room while the doors were still open and settled itself onto the ceiling, pointing the camera lens down towards the fuming figure in the door way. Starscream and Flamewar's jaws were on the ground, their optics widening in shock as they stared at the screen, while Galvatron was trying excessively hard not to overload on the spot. Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots who strove to be presentable at all times, had somehow managed to get herself dressed up in an incredibly suggestive pleasurebot outfit. Most of the circuitry in her body was exposed, making all three mechs; in spite of Thrust's homosexuality; heat up excessively, and Galvatron began to mentally urge her to turn around, careful to keep such thoughts out of their bond; the last thing he needed was for her to figure out that they were watching the base.

The whole room that Optimus was standing in was silent; the only thing audible was her incredibly heavy breathing. Then, someone snickered near one of the tables, earning a death glare from the Autobot leader, and from there, the whole room exploded into rowdy laughter. They ignored Optimus' suddenly sickened face, some even falling off of their chairs, as they continued on. On the other end of the feed, Thrust was covering his optics, muttering something about a happy place, Starscream was looking at the screen with a sympathetic gleam in his optics, Flamewar was muttering under her breath about something, and Galvatron was silently waiting for his mate's emotions to bubble up through the bond. He was actually enjoying the view that the spy-droid was picking up, but the last thing he wanted was for any of the others to figure that out. Optimus stood there for a moment longer before she started moving forward at a speed too slow to be any good.

"Uh oh," Flamewar commented, "she's mad."

"Hope Wingdagger's smart and is hiding," Thrust muttered. "Not that I really care what happens to her or anything. Just saying."

Starscream and Flamewar gave him unimpressed looks before they turned back to the screen. Optimus had stopped behind the couch, leaning over it slightly, and unknowingly giving all four of them a nice view of her aft, which made Galvatron bite down hard on his glossa to stop himself from letting out a moan of delight; none of them knew about Optimus being his mate and it was going to stay that way for as long as possible. She was talking slowly and sweetly to someone on the other side of the couch, a little too low for the spy-droid to pick up, but the others in the room had suddenly stopped laughing. There was a moment where Optimus draped her arm over the couch, a little too innocently, before she brought it back sharply, the fingers wrapped around Jetfire's neck as he squawked in surprise and shock.

"Where the Pit is she?!" Optimus demanded, hauling him up to meet her optics.

"I don't know!" Jetfire replied as he struggled. "Why would you think that I knew?!"

"Because someone had to give her the access codes to my room," Optimus growled before she turned and stormed out of the room. "You had better start running, Wingdagger, because when I catch you, you're going to regret every doing this!"

All four of them chuckled as they followed Optimus down the hallway. "Wonder how Dag managed to get Optimus into that outfit with her waking up," Flamewar mused.

"Put something in her energon," Starscream replied. "You know how much my dear little mate loves to use sedatives."

"Is that how she managed to…," Flamewar started to ask with a sly grin before Galvatron quickly cut her off.

"Keep following her, Thrust," Galvatron ordered.

"As you command sir…but if I catch another picture of her aft, I'm turning it around and hiding," he replied.

It took everything Galvatron had not to snap at him for that comment; if there was going to be another picture of Optimus' aft on the screen, he wanted it saved onto a file and sent directly to him. He'd use the "blackmail" excuse if anyone dared to ask why, even though he had a feeling Starscream would see right through that. It was like the slagger knew about Optimus being Oriona, and if he knew it wouldn't take long for that information to filter down into the other Seekers, which would then filter into the rest of the army. After that, Optimus and his reputations would be ran straight into the ground, as well as some of the other soldiers demanding "displays" of their love for each other; and people said he had weird fetishes. He tried to suppress the shudder of disgust that rose up in him; he was never doing anything to Optimus in front of any of his subordinates. In his privet quarters, yes; in public where everyone could see, no. Unless it was harmless kissing, that he didn't have a problem with.

He looked up when Optimus cleared her throat, smirking at the sight of a cornered Wingdagger. Starscream was shaking his head slightly while Flamewar made a cross over her spark, both of them praying that Optimus didn't kill the femme. He highly doubted that she would, but considering how much she hated the type of outfit she was currently in, he wouldn't put it past her.

"I'm giving you two minutes to tell me where my armor is before I beat the living spark out of you," Optimus growled.

Wingdagger snickered slightly before inching along the wall. "Aw, come on Prime! You know it was all in good fun!" she cooed.

"One minute," Optimus replied with a cold voice.

"Well…it's hidden in a place where only your mate could find it," she replied.

Optimus was silent for a moment, letting everyone in the Decepticon throne room mull that thought over. Somewhere that only her mate could find it; where in the Pit would Galvatron be able to find Optimus' missing armor? Slag, he had destroyed her last armor from when he had tried to force her to return to being Oriona. Where would it be hidden in the Autobot base, a place he didn't know any of the closets or rooms well enough to guess where her armor would be hidden? Unless…Wingdagger hid it in HIS base.

Optimus seemed to have followed that same train of thought because she grabbed the other femme by the top of her chest plate and hauled her up. "YOU HID MY ARMOR IN THE DECEPTICON BASE?!" she screeched.

Wingdagger gave her a sly grin as Flamewar and Thrust blinked at the screen in shock, missing Starscream's attempt to sneak out the door. "You can thank Starscream for assisting me there," she snickered. "He met me on the outskirts of Kaon and took it from there. Happy hunting."

"I'm gutting both of you when this is all over," Optimus threatened before dropping her friend on her aft.

"Oh come on! That outfit make's your aft look bigger! I'm sure your mate loves that!" she called after her leader's retreating form.

"Starscream," Galvatron called after him as he reached the door, "you had better find that armor before anyone else does."

Starscream let out a weak chuckle as Flamewar turned on him with darkened optics. "Um, yeah, about that…," he started to say.

"Starscream, just find that armor before Prime comes anywhere near the base; Wingdagger's right about her aft," Flamewar stated before trotting over to her cousin. "And I don't need the competition around base; Quick's already got a bigger chassis than I do, I don't need someone with a better looking aft walking around looking for her missing armor."

Galvatron gawked after the two Seekers as they left the room, missing Thrust's questioning gaze. "Who's Optimus' mate in the Decepticon ranks?" he asked.

"We'll figure that out later," he replied before going and sitting down. "She'll be contacting the base in a moment and I don't want her to realize that we were spying on her."

"Yes sir," he replied before cutting the image and pretending to start on a report.

Galvatron fought down the urge to vent a huge sigh, rubbing his temples slightly. Wingdagger and Starscream had teamed up to prank Optimus badly enough to tear down a few walls of her respect. Were they planning on sabotaging the entire army together? Probably not since Wingdagger was still angry with Starscream as far as he was aware. It was probably just a stroke of idiocy that made the mates communicate with each other and decide to help each other out. Wingdagger was infamous for these types of pranks; Thrust has once ended up walking around campus back in their Academy days in a bright yellow uniform because Wingdagger had taken his armor, dyed it, and then hidden his spare armor so that he couldn't change out of it. Flamewar still had pictures stashed away somewhere, if he recalled correctly, and used it to blackmail him several times.

But why would they want to stick Optimus in a pleasurebot's outfit? It certainly suited the other faction leader, if only by accenting her perfect figure, and looked stunning on her, but there was no point to it. Optimus was willing to kill whoever had been involved with the prank and he didn't think that her usual "make peace not war" policy was going to stop her. He just hoped that the brunt of that fury did not come down on his head.

"Transmission from Autobot base," Thrust called.

"Put it through," he ordered, standing up to face the screens.

Optimus' enraged face appeared on the screen, missing her face mask; so Wingdagger had also snitched her face mask. That would explain the high levels of aggression; Optimus hated anyone touching her face mask, he knew that from experience. He tried his best not to let a purr slip past his lips, finding her high aggression levels very attractive, but gave her his best crooked smile. That evoked an arched optic ridge from her, but nothing more before she snorted in disgust.

"I hope that Seeker of yours knows how to hide," she growled.

"You will have to be more specific, Prime," he replied smoothly. "I have several Seekers in my army."

"Starscream," she replied angrily. "I want that Seeker's head on a platter for this!"

"For what?" he asked, tilting his head curiously. "All I can see is that you are missing your face mask; I highly doubt Starscream is that secretive or agile to sneak into your base and steal it."

"That's not what this is about," she replied before she stepped back to show off her outfit, her optics daring him to say anything. "I want my armor back."

"How," he started to ask before he snorted with laughter, "how did you manage to lose your armor to Starscream?"

"You can thank Wingdagger for that," she growled before stepping closer to the screen. "I want my armor back, Galvatron," she added, her voice sinking to a very dark whisper.

"And what makes you think that I would know where it was?" he asked with a smirk.

"Because I know you," she replied coldly. "You know where it is, or you know that it is hidden in your base somewhere."

He chuckled softly before ordering Thrust to leave the room, telling him to find the other Seekers and see if they had found the offending armor yet. When he left he turned back to his mate, a crooked grin on his face again as he leant on the control panel. He stared her down as she immediately started to fidget, suddenly paranoid more than ever by the amount of her chassis hanging out where the world could see it. He chuckled again before narrowing his gaze.

"Care to tell me how your friend managed to get you out of your armor without you noticing?" he asked.

"How the slag should I know?" she snapped before folding her arms angrily over her chest. "All I know is that I woke up in this stupid outfit…and don't you dare be staring at my chassis!"

He chuckled before touching his chest in a hurt manner. "What? Why would I do that?" he asked innocently.

"Because you are a sick, twisted pervert who seriously needs an overload!" Wingdagger's voice called from the background.

"Shut UP, Wingdagger! I'm still mad at you," Optimus snapped.

"But it's so true, and he knows it!" Wingdagger called back, barely holding back the snort of laughter. "He's probably got his pelvic plate off already and…."

"Shut up, Wingdagger," they shouted together, a blush rising to Optimus' face.

The wingless Seeker snorted with laughter before the sound of her retreating footsteps echoed through Optimus' end. They both groaned and rubbed their faces in annoyance, grumbling about Seekers and their weird customs. He really should have known that something like that would come out of his mate's friend's mouth, but he had been secretly hoping that time away from the other Seekers had tamed her thoughts. Apparently, he had been wrong to think so because she still acted like a sparkling over these things. Why did Seekers have to have such a huge interest in interfacing?

"Oh, she called so soon?" Flamewar's voice called. "I figured we had about another ten minutes to search before she actually called."

"Don't sound so happy," Optimus grumbled before she folded her arms again. "Did you find my armor?"

"Yes, and my crazy-aft cousin had hid it in Meg…Galvatron's personal bathing quarters," Flamewar replied before shuddering. "Seriously, that's the most disgusting thing I have ever had to step into. And I thought I was kinky!"

"I…really don't need to hear that," Optimus shivered before closing her optics. "Just…Starscream, meet Wingdagger wherever the Pit it was that you two decided to hand the armor off last time."

Starscream smirked before shaking his head. "You don't order me around, Prime," he sneered.

Her optics went from golden yellow to the darkest shade of yellow known to the Universe in a matter of seconds, her mouth twisted into a snarl. "Starscream, do not try my patience right now; I'm not far from stringing you up by your wings and letting the Autobots beat you like a piñata," she hissed.

"You're bluffing," Starscream hissed.

Optimus got a very uncharacteristically sadistic smile on her face. "You want to tempt me, Starscream?" she asked, making everyone's jaw hit the ground in shock. "Today really isn't the day to push my buttons."

"I'm gone," Starscream commented with a squeak before turning and leaving the room as quickly as he could.

Flamewar let out a snicker before glancing over at Optimus, her optics skeptical. "So, tell me, what made Wingdagger decide on black, of all colours, for you?"

"Based it off of Earth culture," Optimus grumbled. "It's supposed to be like leather."

"Leather?" Flamewar asked in confusion.

"A very tight-fitting human clothing that is thought to be sexy on human females," Galvatron replied.

"And how do you know that?" Flamewar teased.

"Don't ask him," Optimus grumbled before dropping her head onto her forearm.

Galvatron laughed before he cut the transmission, smirking over at Flamewar as she laughed while shaking her head. She sighed dramatically before shrugging her shoulders, swinging her arms back and forth. Thrust gave her an uneasy glance while stepping away, an action that Galvatron was quick to follow, not at all trusting the crazy tom-mech.

"Wonder what I would look like in one of those outfits," she mused as she smirked at him. "Wouldn't I just be the hottest thing on base?"

"Or the scariest," Galvatron replied with a snort. "I personally do not want to see _that _in a pleasurebot outfit."

Flamewar blinked several times, an outraged cry on her lips before she sighed and smirked at him. "Aw, you're only saying that because you think of me as one of the mechs," she commented. "Bet if I walked in one morning wearing an outfit like Optimus' you would drown yourself with drool."

"Or die of a major spark-attack," he grumbled. "Return to your post and stop talking about this."

She sighed sadly before heading out the door, probably off to find her mate and drag him off to their quarters. He always did have trouble controlling the Seekers after someone mentioned anything pertaining to interfacing; they were driven by that primal urge. Then again, so were most mechs, but Seekers seemed to have that drive ten-times over; even the femmes went searching for an interface partner every few weeks. Mates had it easy, but the single ones had to be ripped off of whatever poor soul had happened to wander by.

He sat back in his throne, shaking his head as Thrust wandered back over to his post, fiddling with something on the control panel. He settled in for a nap, not having gotten much recharge the night before because he had heard a celebration going on just outside his door until very late in the night, keeping him from falling into peaceful oblivion for a while. He settled down comfortably before offlining his optics, his breathing deepening and missing the giggle that left Thrust as he made contact with someone that was not a Decepticon.

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He snorted awake as Thrust started screaming like a femme that caught sight of a glitch-mouse under the table. He shook his head quickly before standing, his gaze flying around the room as he looked for the cause of the disturbance. Thrust was dancing around in one spot, screaming his fool head off as Starscream tried to get him to shut up. The blue Seeker looked over at him with a desperate stare before going back to trying to stop Thrust from screaming.

"What happened?" he demanded.

"Hotshot somehow managed to get into the base," Starscream replied before smacking Thrust alongside his head. "Stop screaming, you idiot!"

"Why is he here?" Galvatron asked.

"Something about not being able to get a hold of us," Starscream replied. "That's what I don't understand; Thrust was on duty during your…nap, and he said that no one tried to contact us."

"Odd," Galvatron mused. "Very, very, odd."

"What will we do?!" Thrust wailed.

"Let him come," Galvatron replied.

"But, but, Galvatron sir!" Thrust squeaked.

"Let him come; if he can get here without getting killed, he's earned the right to be heard," he replied.

Thrust started wringing his hands and looking around, probably jinxing Hotshot under his breath. Starscream took his usual place beside the throne as Galvatron sat back down, his gaze staying on the door while they waited. Gunshots echoed in the hallways as numerous feet rushed past, voices ringing in a cacophony of battle cries that blocked out even the whirl of the computers. For a long time, that was all that was heard, gunshot after gunshot, but Galvatron knew that Hotshot was making steady progress towards them, albeit a little more slowly than he would have liked.

"I believed he has failed, Galvatron," Thrust chirped.

"No, he's still coming," Galvatron replied, leaning back in his throne with a smirk.

"How can you be so sure?" Starscream asked, giving him a skeptical look.

"If he was defeated, the gunfire would have ceased," he replied evenly. "And I don't know about you, but that certainly sounds like gunfire to me."

Thrust let out a low noise, similar to a moan, and fell silent. The gunfire ceased suddenly, making the tension in the room spike as shouts started rising outside. They all stared at the door for a few more moments before Thrust let out a snicker, obviously thinking that Hotshot had been defeated, and Starscream shook his head, an unreadable expression on his face. Another minute went by before one of the walls was blasted in, the smoke parting to reveal Hotshot as he darted in, Wheeljack right on his heels firing his guns.

"Enough," Galvatron ordered as he stood up, watching as Wheeljack ceased firing in an instant. "I'll give you credit, Hotshot, you're tougher than I thought you would be."

He growled as he stood up, panting slightly as he dangled a large blaster from his hand. "Trust me, this wasn't no picnic," he replied before straightening up.

"Not surprising; you just infiltrated the Decepticon base; did you think you were handling foot soldiers?" Starscream demanded.

"Kinda hoping security in this place wasn't that heavy," Hotshot grunted before straightening himself. "I've come to talk to you about an incredibly grave matter. I'm sure Optimus would have contacted you personally, but for some reason someone wouldn't pick up on the other end."

"Now I wonder who's fault that is," Starscream grumbled.

"Silence," Galvatron ordered coolly. "I'm listening, Autobot."

"Unicron is heading for Cybertron," Hotshot stated with a hardened face. "The Autobots and the Decepticons have to join forces to defeat him."

A moment of silence rang throughout the throne room before several snorts of laughter rose up. Galvatron stared down at Hotshot, an unimpressed look on his face, but he gently probed his son's spark for any chance of deceit. Hotshot poured his feelings down the bond for once, almost making him jump in surprise, and put a great deal of emphasis on the fact that the threat was real. He reassured his sparkling as he pulled back, mulling the news over in his mind with a smirk; so, Optimus actually believed that the Unmaker Unicron existed?

"Are you serious?" a female voice demanded, causing all of them to look at the orange and mauve med-con standing in the doorway, energon spear in hand. "You actually expect us to believe that pack of lies, kid?"

"I'm being serious!" Hotshot shouted. "Unicron is real and he's heading for Cybertron to destroy us all!"

"Maybe you've been listening to too many bedtime stories, kiddo," Flamewar called as she walked in behind Quickstart and resting a forearm on the smaller femme's head, earning a growl. "Unicron is a story told to sparklings to keep them from doing anything naughty."

"He's real," Hotshot growled.

"Prove it," Thrust sneered.

"I…I can't," Hotshot admitted, his shoulders sagging a bit. "But I wouldn't lie about something like this!"

"You're nothing more than a lying, sniveling little offspring of a deranged femme," Thrust sneered, missing the sudden perk in Flamewar's wings. "I never did like that useless little runt anyways."

Hotshot growled darkly before taking a step forward. "What did you just say?" he demanded.

"Maybe I should say it in a way that you'll understand," Thrust sneered before taking a step forward. "You're mother was an unsightly little glitch that couldn't keep her filthy little nose out of everyone else's business. It seems you've picked up some of her unsavory characteristics."

Hotshot's fists clenched as he took a step forward. "You coward! Why don't you try saying that to my face!" he shouted at him, blue optics blazing with rage.

Thrust laughed at him. "Why? So I can watch you break down into a sniveling little puddle of patheticness? Not that I'd really be surprised; your mother wasn't exactly the bravest thing ever. Always using others to defend her; even against her own family. Pity that we weren't able to locate her before she went into hiding; it would have been so good to crush her disgusting spark out of existence," he droned on before a red fist connected with his face, sending him flying backwards.

"You wanna repeat that, you useless heap of scrap?!" Flamewar bellowed as she pulled her wing-sword out and pointed it at him. "If it wasn't for the fact that Galvatron needs your worthless hide, I'd rip you apart for daring to talk about Oriona like that!"

Galvatron froze. "Excuse me?" he demanded; how had Flamewar known about Hotshot when he hadn't?

"Like you don't notice the resemblance," she snorted. "Honestly, you really are a mech, aren't you? Can't even tell a sparkling that your own girlfriend sparked."

Galvatron blinked at her several more times before shaking his head. "How…?"

"Can I get back to killing him?" Flamewar interrupted him. "After that, I'll answer that question."

"Don't kill him; unfortunately we need him alive," Galvatron replied.

"Aw," Flamewar pouted before giving the downed Seeker a hard kick in the side, "I wanted to watch him burn."

She walked over to his side after replacing her wing, glaring down at the grey Conehead as he weakly got back to his feet. Her optics spoke his death for him and he immediately fell silent, letting the conversation drift back to the shaking Hotshot, who was Pit-bent on tearing Thrust apart with his own hands. He inhaled deeply before turning back to face Galvatron, the faintest look of unease in his optics.

"So, Optimus wants the Decepticons to join with the Autobots?" he asked, folding his hands in front of him in thought as he sat back down in his throne.

"It's the only way to destroy Unicron," Hotshot replied. "By working together, we can defeat him better than if we were working alone."

Quickstart had her head tilted to the side, muttering an update to a confused Cyclonus and Demolisher as they stood beside her. Both mechs looked from Hotshot to Galvatron, sensing a hidden link between them as they stared intently at each other. Thrust looked ready to have a spark-attack on the spot, optics darting from everyone in the room, and Starscream was quick to pick up on it. His optics narrowed as he watched the grey Seeker, trying desperately to pick up on anything that would result in an attack on Hotshot.

"How can we be sure this isn't just a ploy to lure the Decepticons into surrendering?" he asked, shifting the focus for a moment.

"Optimus Prime isn't that underhanded, Starscream," Hotshot replied coldly.

"I wasn't saying she was; I was calling you that," he replied just as coldly. "How do we know that you are here on Optimus' orders and not on your own will to play 'hero'?"

Hotshot froze for a moment before looking at his feet. "Optimus…didn't order me here," he murmured, causing both femmes to look at him in surprise. "I came here because she wasn't able to get a hold of Galvatron. There was no other way to get the message to you without crossing some hidden taboo."

"What does he mean by that?" Cyclonus asked.

"Wingdagger," Flamewar replied, "he's talking about Wingdagger contacting Starscream. It would have been seen as treason by both sides and then the threat would be brushed off as an attempt to overthrow Galvatron. Not at all surprising consider Starscream's treacherous ways."

"Thanks for the support, cousin," Starscream grumbled.

"You love me and you know it," she replied while sticking out her glossa.

"Enough you two," Galvatron growled before looking at Hotshot. "What would the Decepticons gain from this?"

Hotshot blinked in confusion. "What?"

He smirked as he stood up, the Starsaber sword coming to life at his side. "What would the Decepticons gain from such an allegiance? I can see the benefits for the Autobots, surely, but what about my faction? I see no gain from such an alliance," he explained.

"What? Are you serious?!" Hotshot shouted, stepping forward. "Can't you look past your own greed for one fragging moment?! We're all in danger here!"

"Calm down, kid," Quickstart warned. "Don't push your luck with him."

Hotshot growled before throwing his arm out beside him. "This allegiance means that you get to stay alive!" he snapped. "If we don't band together like all Cybertronians are supposed to, we'll be wiped out!"

Galvatron raised an optic ridge as he strolled closer, making sure that the Starsaber was in plain sight. "You don't think the Decepticons are strong enough to survive such an attack?" he asked.

"Unicron will wipe out everything in his path," Hotshot replied slowly. "No one stands a chance against him on their own."

"Enough of this!" Thrust shouted, his voice an octave higher than normal. "Please, Galvatron, just let me shoot him!"

"You're oddly edgy, Thrust," he commented calmly as he turned to face the Seeker. "Care to explain?"

"Edgy? Whatever do you mean?" he asked nervously.

"Do you think I have failed to notice how shifty you have become since Hotshot arrived?" Galvatron asked as he stepped towards the other mech. "You're hiding something and I demand to know what."

"I'm not hiding anything, my lord!" Thrust argued as he backed up to where the Requiem Blaster and Skyboom Shield were being safeguarded.

"Liar," Galvatron growled before signaling to Flamewar. "Seize him!"

Flamewar leapt forward with her wingblade out in an instant, fire leaping up along the blade. Thrust leapt backwards quickly and snatched up the two Minicon weapons, lifting the Skyboom Shield up to block her attack. He smirked before shoving her aside, watching her slide along the ground in amusement. Galvatron growled as he charged, only to get knocked back as Thrust started spinning his wings around behind him, creating an airstream that knocked over everyone in its path. He cackle was the last thing that was heard before he vanished.

"Find him!" Galvatron roared as he rose to his feet.

Hotshot and Wheeljack nodded to each other before following the others, leaving an over-reacting Quickstart behind them. The femme medic was fusing over Flamewar's arm, which was bleeding from where she had scraped it along the ground. Flamewar, for her part, was telling her as calmly as she could that it wasn't that big of a deal and it could be buffed out in a few minutes. Galvatron chuckled as he listened to the femmes banter back and forth, their voices never going beyond loud talking, and limped carefully back to his throne.

"As if I don't have enough work to do," Quickstart snarled before storming over to him, a fixed Flamewar in her wake, "now I have to repair you too?!"

"That's your job, Quickstart," he replied before shifting around to give her access to the damaged leg.

Quickstart continued to snarl about the stupidity of the war, mechs, and just Cybertronians in general as she set to work cleaning up the gash he had in his leg. He smirked before focusing on a wall, hissing slightly whenever the medic hit a sensitive wire. Flamewar had settled herself against the arm of his throne, leaning her head on his shoulder affectionately, and sighing loudly into his audio. He glanced at her in annoyance before she sighed again.

"Don't you think this is getting annoying?" she asked.

"You bothering me?" he asked in reply, earning a cuff over the head.

"No, stupid, this war," she replied sharply. "We haven't gained any ground in several thousand years, our numbers are slowly decreasing while the Autobots increase, and we're no closer to accomplishing our goal than we were when we started out."

"Our goal is clear, Flamewar," he growled. "And we are closing in on it."

"Since when?" she demanded. "I've yet to see one of the old council members fall over at our feet and say that they will change what they've done to us."

"Optimus Prime will fall, and with her the rest of the Council of Elders," he replied.

"That didn't work when you took out Sentinel Prime," she argued. "A new Prime just took his place."

"But this Prime is different," he replied. "Very different."

"Name one thing that sets her apart, aside from the fact that she is a femme," Flamewar challenged.

"I could say something, but you'd find it unpleasant," he replied with a smirk.

"If you're thinking that she's a good interface…," Flamewar started to say before she let out a yelp and covered her audios. "EWEWEW! She's an Autobot and you have a girlfriend! You sick fragger! EW! Now I have that picture in my head!"

He laughed at her reaction before he shook his head. "Whatever gave you that conclusion?" he asked. "How did you know that I wasn't going to mention how extravagant she looks in a pleasurebot outfit?"

"I don't want to know," Quickstart piped up as she finished her job. "Now if you don't mind, I need to get back to my paperwork."

He dismissed her before Flamewar leant on his shoulder. "By the way, why didn't you attack Thrust when he was insulting Oriona?" she asked. "I could tell by the way you were tensing up that you knew who he was talking about."

"Sometimes it is better to remain still than to attack," he replied. "Besides, you did a much better job of scaring him slagless."

"Got that right," she laughed before kissing his cheek. "Now, think what Hotshot told you over; Optimus might actually be telling the truth for all we know."

She left the room after that, leaving him to ponder Hotshot's words. He had not been able to pick up any sense of a lie through the bond, something that the youngling probably didn't know how to conceal from him. He genuinely believed that Unicron, a make-believe character created by adults to scare sparklings into listening, was real. On top of that, Optimus had been unable to get a hold of him, most likely because Thrust was blocking communications while he had been resting, so his sparkling had braved the Decepticon base to relay the message. Either this threat was real or Hotshot was just plain stupid; he was hoping for the former.

He stood up and nodded once before heading towards the door.

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"Are you sure this is safe?" Jetfire asked as they headed out onto Cybertron's surface, just outside of Kaon and not far from the Decepticon base.

"We need to have Galvatron's support, otherwise our whole planet is doomed," Optimus replied gently as she transformed and started walking. "As much as you don't want to believe it, Galvatron does care about Cybertron and its inhabitants… just not in the same way that the Autobots do."

Jetfire grumbled as he walked beside her, his arm wrapped possessively around her waist. She patted his arm gently, trying to get him to understand that everything was going to be fine, but his jealousy was blocking his logic processors lately. It saddened her to see him like this, but there was nothing she could do anymore. When it came down to it, Galvatron and Jetfire were going to have to duke it out like a couple of bull moose in rut. She shook her head at the thought before she heard the sound of approaching engines, and huge ones at that.

"Incoming!" Jetfire shouted before they both darted aside, narrowly avoiding getting shot through by Tidal Wave.

"You didn't come prepared, Prime," Galvatron's voice called. "I'm almost disappointed."

"I'll keep the giant tin-can busy," Jetfire growled before he took off after Tidal Wave. "You try to convince Galvatron!"

She nodded before watching her huge mate walk towards her, cocky grin in place as he stopped ten paces from her. She stared up at him, a mixture of pain and longing reaching out over the bond but remained as composed as she could on the surface. She sighed before stepping forward, running a hand over her face as she carefully prepared herself for the onslaught of yelling.

"You've heard?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied, poker-face in place. "And I have serious doubts."

"That's understandable," she replied. "But he is real, Galvatron."

"If this is a grandiose scheme of yours to get the Decepticons to surrender," he growled as he took a menacing step forward.

"It's not," she replied curtly.

"Prove it," he ordered.

She pointed at the huge moon that had descended into Cybertronian airspace. "Right there," she growled.

"That is a hunk of metallic space rock," he replied, giving her an annoyed look, "not a giant, planet-eating being."

"It is Unicron," she snapped, throwing her arms in the air. "It's not my fault the giant slagger decided to hide!"

"You've gotten quite the foul mouth," he commented before leaning in closer. "Do I need to clean it for you?"

"Now is not the time to flirt," she growled as she blushed up under her face mask.

"You never think it's the time to flirt," he sighed.

"Because it never is!" she groaned before giving him a hard shove in the chest. "Unicron is about to descend on us and all you can think about is getting my pelvic plating off!"

"Again with Unicron!" he snapped before grabbing her and hauling her up to his face. "He does not exist, Oriona! This is some drugged energon dream that some idiot fed you."

"You're wrong, Galvatron," Starscream's voice called before a glowing red blade was pressed to Galvatron's throat. "Let her go."

Galvatron growled as he lowered her to the ground, his body shaking in rage. Starscream backed up, taking his blade away from Galvatron and holding it out in front of him as the giant turned on him.

"What is the meaning of this, Starscream?" he growled.

"You are missing the point, Galvatron," Starscream replied. "I've seen Unicron and felt his power; it is both terrifying and unfathomable."

"What are you going on about?" Galvatron snapped.

"Don't you see yet, you idiot?" Starscream growled. "The only way for any of us to survive is to join together as one army. And preferably under Optimus' leadership because you have long since lost your ability to lead with a straight head!"

"Excuse me?!" he bellowed in rage, the Starsaber sword forming in his hand.

"You heard me, Galvatron; your ability to lead the Decepticons had long since passed," Starscream replied.

"Starscream, stand down," Optimus ordered as she stepped forward. "This does not concern you."

"With all due respect, Optimus, it does concern me," he replied with a sad smile. "I've watched him slowly slip into this role and I did nothing to stop it."

"Starscream," she tried to press before Galvatron threw his arm out in front of her.

"He's made his decision," he stated coldly. "Let's hope you've improved since the last time we fought, Starscream."

They nodded before leaping at each other, swords smashing into each other with enough force to create shockwaves. Optimus backed up quickly, not wanting to get caught in the cross-fire, and settled her fuel tank for the fight that was going on before her. They stood in the same spot for several minutes, swords crossed, and tried to over-power the other mech. They appeared to be evenly matched, even with Galvatron's huge height and weight advantage, but a part of her spark told her that Galvatron wasn't really trying. She guessed that the part of him that still clung to their old friendship was not letting him go all out in this death-match.

With a grunt, they sprang apart from each other, glaring the other down before they charged. Their swords clashed again, Galvatron shoving Starscream backwards as he put a bit more force behind his attacking this time, and she winced as she heard the sound of bending armor. They grunted as they strained to shove the other over, not gaining ground for more than a second before the other fought back with more power. They leapt back and swung the blades at each other, blocking and paring each other until Galvatron gave a quick, underhand swipe, sending Starscream's sword flying into the air.

With a snarl, he lunged at the smaller Seeker, only to find his target to have vanished. He snapped his head up and growled angrily after Starscream as the blue Seeker flew after his wayward blade. He caught it and flipped back over, heading straight for Galvatron as he brought his blade back, ready to swipe him from above. Galvatron brought his sword up and blocked the attack, twisting his wrist enough to send Starscream careening to the right. Starscream spun around, only for his sword to be knocked out of his hand again. It embedded itself into the ground and his optics followed it for a brief moment before he gasped in pain which quickly followed by an involuntary gasp from Optimus as she covered her face with her hand; Galvatron had stabbed the Starsaber into his chest.

Galvatron's released the handle of the sword like he had been burnt, his optics wide as he took a step back. Starscream stared down at the sword in his chest and frowned as he grabbed the glowing blade. Optimus shouted at him to stop before he ripped the blade out of his chest, energon spraying down his torso as he stumbled slightly. She could see the glow of his spark through the hole in his chest and the energon in her fuel tank rose up her throat. He stared down at his spark for a moment before he stared at Galvatron, his silver optics holding a complex emotion.

"Now," he gurgled, "I'll show you your proof. Swindle! Combine!"

His Minicon connected on his back and flipped his blasters up onto his shoulders. He shouted at Unicron before he fired off his guns, sending a huge laser blast rocketing towards the satellite that was orbiting Cybertron. There was a crackle of electricity from near the horns that were protruding from the surface of the metallic moon before a huge jet of blue electricity started heading for them.

"Starscream, move!" Optimus screamed as Swindle detached himself at Starscream's command.

Starscream stared up at the slowly approaching electricity and a sad smile crept over his face. His optics started to dim before a white and red mech crashed into him from behind, sending him flying forward to sprawl out on the ground. Jetfire was caught in midair as the electricity smashed into his head. Yellow optics widened as the blast started to disintegrate his body, not even giving him a chance to scream or move away. Within moments, his body vanished and the blast ate a crater into the surface of Cybertron before dissipating. Optimus stood there for a moment before she tried to bolt forward.

"Jetfire!" she screamed before Galvatron's arms wrapped tightly around her, stopping her from charging forward blindly.

She struggled against him, every inch of her screaming to get to the crater and look for any remains. His arms tightened around her as he began to murmur sadly into her audio.

"He's gone," he whispered. "He's gone, Oriona, there's nothing you can do."

She struggled for another minute until she froze and looked up at Galvatron, who's face had also twisted into horror. "Starscream!" they shouted together.

They scrambled over to where the Seeker was lying face down in a puddle of his own energon, wings twitching every now and then. Galvatron carefully flipped him over, wincing as sparks flew out of the cavity in his chest. Optimus started tapping his cheek to make him stay awake, staring down at him in terror as energon continued to ooze out of him. On impulse, Galvatron grabbed both sides of the wound and physically held them shut, ignoring Starscream whine of pain.

"Where's that medic of yours?" Galvatron growled.

"Red Alert?" she asked as she activated her com-link.

"No. The psychotic one that liked to whip wrenches at my face," he replied. "I still don't get why Ratchet hated me so much."

"Because you ducked, that's why," she replied before picking up on Ratchet's com-link. "Ratchet, you there?"

"Yes, what's wrong?" Ratchet replied sounding very tired.

"Starscream," she replied before stroking the Seeker's head. "He has a large wound in his chest and…."

"Why are you calling about an injured Decepticon?" Ratchet demanded, the sound of a wrench hitting something metal echoing down the link.

"Because," she sighed, "he's hurt and the Decepticons are siding with us against Unicron."

"You're sure of this?" Ratchet asked.

"Trust me, Galvatron is holding the wound shut on his own free-will and he just witnessed Starscream try to take out Unicron who shot back; I think he's convinced now," she replied.

"I'll be there as soon as I can; get Galvatron to contact Quickstart and see if she can get there first. And for the love of Primus, don't let him fall into stasis!" he ordered before the com-link was cut.

"You catch that?" she asked as she turned to look at her mate.

"Already called," he replied, his gaze on his energon-soaked hands.

She nodded as she turned her attention to keeping Starscream awake. She had tears racing down her face as she spoke to him, petting his head continuously as his optics started to flicker more and more. His internal components were starting to slow down, and he was drawing in air to cool his systems at an alarming rate, which meant that his air intakes were starting to fail. More tears started to fall down her face as she gripped his hand tightly, avoiding Galvatron's optics as much as possible so she didn't break down into hopeless sobs.

At the sound of jet engines she looked up, her optics homing in on the red Seeker heading towards them. The Seeker landed and set the orange medic down, looking at Starscream with pained optics.

"Is…is he gunna be ok?" Flamewar asked as Quickstart moved forward.

"If he gets the medical attention he needs he might," Quickstart replied swiftly, slipping under Galvatron's arm to settle herself in at an angle that she could work on Starscream's wound. "Galvatron, sir, you're going to have to move your hands."

Galvatron nodded before he pulled away, energon dripping from his hands, and let the sides of the wound slide open again. Quickstart's face revealed a repulsed face before she set to work soldiering closed the fuel lines, stopping anymore precious energon from escaping. Optimus remained where she was, waiting for the medic to tell her to do anything else. The orange femme glanced up at her for a moment, optics passive before she went back to her work.

"My brother won't be too much longer," she stated gently. "Wingdagger is flying him out. When she turns up, you can let her take over keeping him online."

Optimus nodded as she gave Starscream's hand a squeeze, earning a finger twitch in response. Quickstart's hands were soon drenched in energon but her face plate had managed to compose itself, the familiar frown that was often seen on Ratchet's face settling. Flamewar had sat down beside Galvatron, rubbing his arm as he stared down at his energon-soaked hands, while letting tears streak their way down her face. It was unnerving to watch the strongest femme she had ever known break down like that.

Jet engines roared nearby before Ratchet was beside her, gently moving her to the side to get a good look at the wound. He glared at Galvatron, silently telling him that when it was all over he was a dead mech, before he got to work helping his sister with the major repairs. Optimus moved aside as Wingdagger collapsed by her mate's head, sobbing as she clasped his hand tight enough to make him whimper in pain. She moved away from the compact circle and headed over to where Galvatron was staring at his hands.

"I…I caused this," he murmured as she sat down beside him. "I caused all of this."

She rested her hand on his upper arm, rubbing it gently. "You couldn't have predicted this," she replied. "It was a fight between you both."

"I stabbed him," he hissed, clenching his fists. "Almost clean through! I'm the cause of his wound, not Unicron."

"Look at me," she ordered as she rested a hand on his cheek. When he turned to look down at her, she moved close enough to rest her helm against his. "That may be true, but you regret it. And that means that you never meant to hurt him."

"I still did," he growled. "I almost killed him."

"Would you stop already? He's not dead and he'll be fine once Ratchet and Quickstart get him patched up," she replied sharply.

"This could have been avoided if I wasn't so stubborn," he murmured.

"A lot could have been avoided if you weren't so stubborn," she teased before poking his nose. "Now would you stop? You are seriously scaring me with this angst crude you're spewing."

His optics hardened as his hand crept up onto her cheek, his fingers playing with the clasp on her face mask. "It could have been you," he whispered.

"But it wasn't," she replied as leant into his hand. "I'm fine and soon so will Starscream."

He leant closer to her as he managed to get her face mask on, his warm breath settling on her neck as he started tilting his head. "Oriona," he breathed before his lips met hers, "my beautiful Oriona."

She murmured softly into his mouth as she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, pulling herself as tightly to his chest as she could. For a moment, the world stopped mattering to her and it all condensed into his mouth against hers and his arms wrapping tightly around her waist, holding onto her in an almost desperate manner. She pressed closer, desperation starting to take control of her body. She wanted her mate back; she didn't care if he was Megatron or Galvatron, as long as he was back. Her huge mate who kept her protected and safe, who treated her like the most precious jewel in the Universe, who whispered sweet nothing for hours on end, even after the longest, most brutal days at work. She wanted him back so badly that her spark was screaming in pain within her chest, an eternity of repressed love flooding back to the surface at a dizzying speed.

A loud cough brought her crashing back to reality with such a jolt she almost bit Galvatron's glossa right off. They pulled apart slowly and turned to look at Ratchet as he leant over Starscream's body, Wrench of Doom tapping menacingly against his leg. Galvatron let out a low chuckle as Optimus' face heated up in embarrassment, catching the low level hum of the two Seeker femmes and the even lower subsonic hum of Starscream's engine. She bit back her moan of despair as she turned her face away, wanting to hide in a hole as far away from everyone as she could manage.

"Well, guess Optimus does have a lusty side after all," Flamewar commented from where she was stretched out on the ground. "Galvatron, you player you."

"I hope you're happy, Optimus," Quickstart commented from where she was working.

"Do I want to know why?" she asked as she tried to find a place to hide her face in Galvatron's arm without making it look like she was trying to get more action.

"You just made my mate really expect me when I get back to base," she replied with a glare.

"Sorry," she groaned before rubbing her temples.

"I quite enjoyed it," Wingdagger called. "Now you can't get mad at Starscream and me for getting it on in the hallways!"

"Shut up, Wingdagger!" she groaned before hiding her face in Galvatron's shoulder. "You aren't helping!"

They snickered at her as she tried to hide away, punching Galvatron in the chest as he tried to pinch her aft. She just wanted to hide now and hope that everything would blow over, and every second that was passing was letting her know that it wasn't going to happen. Wingdagger and Flamewar were shouting at each other about what they thought would happen next while Ratchet and Quickstart continued to work and tried to ignore them. She heavily resisted the urge to start beating her head against her mate's shoulders when she heard Wingdagger let out a small curious noise.

"Hey…wasn't Jetfire with you when you left the base?" she asked. "Where'd that slack-off get to?"

Optimus froze, everything rushing back to her with enough force to make her reel with nausea. A sob caught in her throat as she dug her fingers into Galvatron's chest, her body starting to jerk as she tried to fight off the image. Jetfire's optics, the glow of the electricity over his armor, his body being eaten away by the blast, all the images of those few seconds assaulted her. Galvatron's arms tightened around her as the others let out worried murmurs, his voice gently reassuring her in her audio.

"Jetfire was destroyed by Unicron," Galvatron stated solemnly. "He saved Starscream from suffering his fate."

"Optimus," Wingdagger's voice called after a stunned moment of silence, "I'm so, so sorry."

"There's nothing we can do," Ratchet stated sternly. "He went out like a true Autobot, that's all that matters."

Optimus felt tears spill down her face again, but Ratchet was right. Jetfire went out like an Autobot, protecting another life, and trying to defend Cybertron. She inhaled shakily as Galvatron's hand found her cheek again, stroking gently as he whispered into her audio.

"I'll protect you now," he whispered. "Nothing bad will happen, I promise."

She smiled before hugging him tightly. "I've missed you," she whispered. "Don't leave again."

"I won't," he promised before his head was resting on her shoulder. "You can be sure of that."

"Thank you," she whispered as she snuggled closer to him. "Thank you."

**Author's note:** Yeah, finally got this one all written up! I really can't multitask anymore. And I need to start finishing these stories up soon. Too many stories that have sequels! Dang it, I'm probably going to put a poll up to find out what stories you want me to focus on and finish, that way I can get more ideas out of the way. Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	27. Caught in Unicron

Chapter 26 Caught in Unicron

Optimus didn't really expect much of a reception when they got back to the base, but she was surprised to find both armies already mingling with each other. When she and Galvatron stepped up beside each other at the front of the command center, everyone fell silent and saluted, their optics bright with loyalty towards either one of them. Galvatron explained the situation quickly, his optics flying instantly to where Starscream was leaning heavily on his cousin and mate near the door to the room, and the faintest traces of concern lodging within their red depth before he sent all the soldiers off. Optimus silently hoped that there were enough quarters to keep everyone and that no one would have to double up with a member of the opposite faction, before she followed Galvatron over to where Flamewar and Wingdagger were helping Starscream limp to a table for Ratchet and Quickstart to finish the repairs on him.

"How is he?" she asked nervously.

"He'll live," Ratchet replied as he sealed off a few tubes in the Seeker's chest. "We fixed most of the damage back at the site, but he should recover in the medbay from here on out."

Quickstart growled slightly before turning to stab a finger into Galvatron's face. "You should learn to be more trusting!" she snarled before shaking her head. "Honestly! How could you doubt Optimus' word! She's not a slagging liar!"

"Quickstart," Ratchet warned before grabbing her arm. "Don't start fights."

"Yes, _dad_," the orange femme snarled before sticking her nose in the air.

"Don't you get snippy with me."

"What are you going to do, you out-dated...."

"Enough," Galvatron and Optimus snapped at the same time.

Both medics shot them a glare before returning to their work, mumbling about getting a stretcher to move Starscream to the medbay so he wouldn't be jostled anymore than necessary. Optimus pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose, trying her hardest not to haul off and smack the medic's heads together. Siblings were the most annoying things sometimes; it was a good thing Hot Rod had long ago deserted them otherwise they might have torn each other apart. Galvatron's hand rested on her hip for a moment before he turned to leave the Seekers and medics alone, his own frustration echoing down the bond.

She followed him out, ordering Ratchet to call in Red Alert if he needed more help. Quickstart let out a squawk of indignity before Ratchet clubbed her over the head and told her to stop being such an aft; she hadn't meant it as a sexiest remark. She shook her head as they walked down the hallway together, steps matching perfectly, and wondered how bad it was for the others to watch her and Hot Rod fight when he had occupied Autobot space with his massive ego. Galvatron's hand brushed hers for a moment before he glanced down at her with soft, apologetic optics before he stopped in the hallway, his hand holding tightly to hers.

She knew he was about to apologize for Jetfire's death and pressed her fingers to his lips to stop him. She smiled up at him, through her facemask, before shaking her head; the words did not need to be spoken. She could feel his guilt for unintentionally killing her boyfriend and that was all she needed to forgive him. Jetfire had been causing some trouble for her since he realized that she was planning on returning to her mate. No matter how much it broke her spark to think that the loyal mech was gone, she was silently thankful that he was not making a scene for them.

"Uh...am I interrupting something, sir?" Demolisher's voice brought them both back to reality with a jolt.

She jumped in surprise before stepping away from her mate, face burning in horror at being found in such a close proximity. Galvatron merely shot Demolisher a glare before growling that no, he wasn't interrupting anything now. He grumbled "slagger" down their bond as he turned to face his subordinate and she had to look away to avoid laughing at him.

"Sir, I don't mean to complain, but," he started to say.

"What is it, Demolisher?" Galvatron growled. "Spit it out."

"Well...it's all the Autobots running around like they own the place."

Optimus wasn't able to stop herself from slamming her palm into her face with a groan. "This is an _Autobot_ base, Demolisher," she stated calmly as she gave the mech an even glare. "Of course we're going to walk around like we own it."

"Well, yeah, but they don't have to treat us like we're stupid!" Demolisher shot back, missing Galvatron's death glare. "We might not know our way around, but we sure as the Pit know the difference between quarters and a broom closet!"

"I'll have a word with the mechs causing problems," she stated calmly before walking over to him and jabbing a finger into his face. "You, however, should learn some manners. I know for a fact that Galvatron would rip your head off for speaking to him that way; do not think that just because I'm an Autobot means that you can speak to me like I'm an idiot."

Demolisher took a step back in surprise before a glint of admiration appeared in his optics. He saluted and apologized before turning and walking down the hallway. She winced as Galvatron's fist slammed into the wall behind her, pent up frustration bubbling over at last. She turned to face him and shook her head as he took a step back to wave his hand around; he had left more of a dent in his fist than in the wall. He seemed to be surprised that the wall had not collapsed under his power, looking at her for an explanation as he started to nurse his throbbing fist. She rolled her optics before demanding to know if he really thought the walls were just going to collapse under the merest touch or because he willed it to happen.

She turned and started heading towards her quarters, shaking her head in disbelief at her mate's stupidity. She stopped several Autobots along the way and told them to find adequate recharging quarters for every Decepticon soldier and that any trickery or pranking would be punished. Galvatron caught up to her after she sent the last mech off, a satisfied smirk on his face before he leant a hand against the wall over her head.

"You planning anything tonight?" he asked in a seductive voice.

"Please tell me you are not trying to flirt with me," she sighed before turning to glance at him.

He grinned his infamous grin before snatching her up and pinning her to the wall. She glared up at him as he leant his head against hers, hands pressed on either side of her head to keep her stuck in that spot. He let out a low growl of desire before his glossa licked the bit of nose that poked out over the top of her face mask.

"What can I say, Prime?" he purred as she squirmed slightly to fight back her laugh. "You're just so arousing when you're being so commanding."

"Bullslag," she replied before pushing on his chest, biting back the grin that he would see through their bond. "Get off, you brick shithouse!"

"Brick shithouse?" he parroted.

"Human term for solid men," she replied before pushing on him more. "Don't make me call Scavenger."

He grinned before moving in and nuzzling her neck, purring and licking the cables hidden in the crevices. She squeaked and wiggled to get away, pushing on his chest while fighting down a giggle. He laughed before gagging as he was forcefully removed from her by a large green hand. Scavenger grinned at her before telling her to run, smirking at Galvatron as he tried to wiggle out of his grip. He had the larger mech by the scruff and was doing a good job of holding him still in spite of the struggle he was giving. She didn't waste time sticking around, quickly racing down the hallway to get away. She glanced back at the corner and let out a loud yelp of terror before taking off again; Scavenger had let Galvatron go and had given him a shove in her direction.

She heard his footsteps gaining on her and she tried to go faster, weaving around soldiers standing in the hallway; wasn't there something the humans believed in that said "anything that can go wrong, will go wrong"? It seemed to have manifested ten times over in her case since the hallways were packed for some reason. Mechs she knew from her days in the Academy held back the younger mechs that thought she was in trouble, laughing and yelling at her to move faster while cheering Galvatron on. Some of the Decepticons stared at her as she rushed past, looking back at Galvatron as he chased after her with equally dumbfounded looks. A few made an attempt to grab her, but Galvatron shouted at them to back off; he didn't need their help to catch one femme.

"Run, glitch, he's catching up!" someone called.

"I'll deal with you later, Blaster!" she shouted back, smirking at the brilliantly coloured femme as she streaked by.

"He's gaining on you, Prime!" Hound called, leaning on the wall and waving.

"You, same as her," she hissed before she crashed head on into a very solid leg.

She stumbled backwards and Galvatron's arms wrapped tightly around her. She shook her head to clear it of the loud buzzing noise and stared up at a very confused Tidal Wave as he stood in the middle of the hallway. Galvatron let out a chuckle as he thanked the huge mech before flipping her over his shoulder and strolling down the hallway as if nothing was out of the ordinary. She shrieked in indignity before squirming uselessly amidst the chorus of laughter from Autobots and Decepticons alike. She growled before glaring at Galvatron as he started whistling happily, completely ignoring the comments being thrown at his back.

She struggled all the way down the hallway, glaring at different mechs as they whistled and cheered Galvatron on. Was there no one that even felt sorry for her considering she looked like something he had hunted on Earth? She heard him laugh before his shifted her around so that her aft wasn't sticking so high into the air for everyone to see.

"This isn't the Academy!" Kup's voice suddenly rang out. "If you're going to carry her around at least carry her like she's a lady!"

Galvatron paused for a moment, tilting his head to the side before grunting in agreement. She yelped in surprise as she was suddenly dropped off of his shoulder and into his arms. She clung to his shoulder for a moment in surprise, shaking for a moment while Kup let out a small snort of laughter. She blinked before growling and letting go of her mate, slumping in his arms with her arms crossed over her chest, and a pouting lip under her face mask. Galvatron chuckled before nuzzling her, purring into her audio as he started walking again. She grumbled in annoyance before settling down, knowing that wiggling would do her no good considering Galvatron's grip, though gentle, was like a steel trap.

He stopped outside of her quarters and stared at the touchpad for a minute. "What's your password?" he asked.

"Like I'm gunna tell you," she huffed.

"Don't be bitter," he teased before licking her neck.

She hissed at him on reflex before reaching out and punching in the code. She covered his optics at the same time just to get him mad, smirking as he tried to tip his head back to get her hand off so she could see the access code. She heard the door slide open and felt his grip on her tighten before he chuckled evilly into her audio. She looked up at him in surprise and swallowed fearfully at his predatory grin. She poked her head over his shoulder and found Kup leaning against the wall with a smirk on his face. She mouthed "help me" and he shook his head before waving at her. She gave her best horrified optics before the door slid shut behind Galvatron, plunging them into darkness.

"Make sure you put on the sound-proofing!" Kup's voice shouted through the door. "I do not want to hear anything! And I'm pretty sure none of the base wants to hear it either!"

Galvatron laughed before turning the sound-proof system on, grinning down at her as his optics glowed cruelly through the gloom. She swallowed nervously before she felt his claws searching for the latches on her face mask, letting out a soft growl before reaching up to take it off herself; there was no way she was losing another one because he lacked the patience to actually look at where he was digging his claws in. He barely gave her time to put the mask in her subspace before his mouth was pressed tightly over hers, making her whine as she tried to grab his horns to pull him closer.

She found herself flat against her berth in the next instant, one leg wrapping around her mate's hip as they kissed over and over again. His hands roamed over her frame, slipping his fingers under the catches on her armor and removing them as she scratched pathetically at his. He let out a low chuckle before guiding her hands around to the catches, letting her fight with them and heave the plating off the berth while he ran his mouth over her throat.

She let out a low moan of pleasure before his mouth started trailing down her chest, his glossa slipping out to wrap around wires and tubing, teasing them to pull moans of delight from her. She could see sparks of electricity flying around Galvatron's pelvis as the wires around his tube came to life, withering in the air as they tried to find a way into her. She let out another moan as his glossa slid down her thigh, his red optics fastened on her face as his horns let out sparks of electricity, more evidence of his obvious arousal. She reached up and grabbed his horns, crying out in bliss as the electricity raced through her the same way an interface pulse would, before pulling his head towards her again.

She claimed his mouth hungrily as she felt his wires connecting to her. She let out a hungry growl of desire before his claws dug into the berth beside her, tearing at the surface as he sent several pulses into her. She lost track of what was happening as pleasure rushed through her, vaguely aware of the bellows that her mate was letting out as he dug at the berth beneath her, his fangs flashing as he bit and kissed every piece of her that he could find. They hit overload simultaneously, their cries of delight mixing until he collapsed on top of her panting.

They kissed several more times before curling up against each other to recharge, purring down the bond in contentment. Nothing chased off nightmares quite like being with your mate.

ASDFGHJKL;'ASDFGHJKL;'ASDFGHJKL;'

She awoke to the sound of the door sliding open, bright light from the hallway landing on her face. She grumbled slightly in discomfort before trying to nuzzle her face under Galvatron's arm to hide. She did not want to get up yet; this was the best recharge she had had in a very, very long time. She felt her mate shift around her and spoke over her head to whoever was standing in the doorway, yawning periodically. She asked who it was, discovered it was Scavenger, and decided that she didn't need to be worried about being seen without her armor on. She lifted herself up onto her elbow and blinked sleepily at the mech leaning on the doorway. He nodded to her, not put off by the fact that she was naked, before repeating that they had to get up. Galvatron grumbled about him not being the boss while rubbing his optics free of recharge. She, on the other hand, knew that there would be no way to negotiate with her old teacher; when he said something, everyone listened. She leant over the berth to reach for her pelvic cover when she heard a soft squeak of surprise before embarrassment blossomed through the bond.

She glanced over her shoulder and smirked at Side Swipe as he looked at his feet with a bright red faceplate. He must have walked into the room just as she was leaning over and got a full view of her uncovered chassis. While it was technically no big deal for her to be in a berth without her armor on, she could understand her son's reaction towards seeing her naked.

"Close the door, Scavenger," Galvatron snorted before he stretched his arms over his head with a loud groan. "I don't need the world to see my mate without her plating on."

"What?" a voice called from the hallway. "Who doesn't have plating on?"

"Keep moving, Cyclonus," Scavenger stated before pushing Side Swipe out into the hallway and letting the door slide shut behind him.

She rolled her optics before grabbing her pelvic plating and snapping it on. She barely glanced at her mate as she stood up and started shifting through the multicoloured plating, tossing him his as she went. She was fully armoured by the time Galvatron had his abdominal platting snapped into place, smirking as she commented on his lack of speed when first waking up. He glanced at her for a moment, his optics raking over her in an attempt to find some part of her uncovered, before commenting that she was missing her face mask.

She stuck her glossa out at him before pulling it out of her subspace and snapping it into place. She headed out the door, tossing her own jab that he should hurry up over her shoulder. He growled good-naturedly after her before the door slid shut behind her, letting her set a fast pace towards the command center. She walked in and almost jumped out just as fast as Hot Shot and Demolisher went rolling past, fists a blur as they fought with one another.

She walked in and made her way over to where Blur was shaking his head in disgust. "What is this?" she demanded.

"Ask them," Blur replied, nodding at the two fighting mechs.

She turned to the two mechs and inhaled deeply, knowing that she was going to have to yell in order to be heard over the clamour. "ENOUGH!"

All the soldiers looked at her in surprise since she was not one to shout for any reason and she was able to get the two squabbling mechs' attention. They looked at her and blinked before glaring at each other and started fighting again. She motioned to Blur to help her before she moved forward and grabbed Hot Shot by the scruff. Blur's arm reached past her to grab Demolisher by the throat, helping her to drag the two of them apart.

"What is the meaning of this?" she demanded once she had managed to get Hot Shot to stop squirming.

"He called you a whore!" Hot Shot snarled.

The whole room fell silent again; obviously everyone was drawn here by the fight and was unaware of the reason behind it. She gave Demolisher a reproachful glare before letting Hot Shot go, motioning him to stay beside her.

"What gave you that idea, Demolisher?" she asked calmly.

He glared at her before growling at her. "You charmed Galvatron into your berth; what other evidence do I need?" he snapped.

"Wait...you and Galvatron...last night?" Hot Shot demanded before grimacing. "Oh gross!"

"Hot Shot, quiet," she ordered before turning to Demolisher. "I did not charm him into my berth, thank you very much. I suggest that you understand the full story before accusing anyone."

"And what's the full story?" Demolisher demanded.

"That," Galvatron's voice growled before she felt his front pressing against her as he leant over them all, "is none of your concern, soldier."

Demolisher cringed instantly and started begging for forgiveness; she wondered if the Decepticons ever suffered from whiplash from such a rapid change in emotions. Galvatron's optics flashed in fury as he brushed past her, hatred rolling off of his body in waves. Every mech in the room backed away from him, their optics wide in fear, just knowing that anyone that got in the way would suffer the same fate as Demolisher's. Optimus was the only one that stood their ground; his fury was not directed at her so she had nothing to fear, despite what the others believed. Demolisher was cowering on the ground, quaking in terror as Galvatron grabbed him by the throat and hefted him into the air.

She shook her head before walking forward and placing a hand on her mate's arm. He looked down at her, fury raging in his optics as his grip tightened on his subordinate, making the red and yellow mech gag. She shook her head before turning away, leaving Galvatron to decide what to do with the mech on his own; she just needed to give him her input before he killed Demolisher for no reason other than wounded pride. She heard a crash and glanced over her shoulder as the mech was dropped unceremoniously onto his aft, Galvatron's fist clenching as he lowered his arm.

"Next time, Prime, do not interfere," he growled as he shot her a heated glare.

"We need all the soldiers we have, Galvatron," she replied evenly before turning to face Hot Shot. "Now, what was the emergency that my recharge had to be interrupted for?"

"Unicron's on the move," he replied solemnly.

"That...merits as a good enough reason," she commented before looking at the monitors. "Can we get a visual?"

"On it," Blur replied before he started typing away at the keyboard. "Just give me a minute."

Everyone stared at the screen as an image of the giant mech appeared on the monitors. It didn't look like Unicron had moved an inch since Starscream had fired on him. She wondered if they had been mistaken when she realized that Unicron was moving, very slowly; in fact, he looked like he was getting ready to _transform_. She looked at Galvatron in shock, not comforted by his equally horrified expression, before she ordered them to zoom in on the image.

She shivered in disbelief at the image before ordering all mechs to battle stations; they were going to be ready for Unicron rather than sitting on their afts waiting for death to fall on them. The Autobots moved off immediately while the Decepticons merely looked at each other in boredom; they did not respect her authority no matter how high up the chain of command she was. Galvatron smirked when she shot him a look, tilting his head to the side in fake thought that made her antennas twitch in annoyance. He actually had the gall to laugh at her before ordering his men to follow the Autobots and obey their commanding officer; they were to fight and obey any orders given, whether by himself, Optimus, or the commanding officer of the ships. When they charged out to catch up with the Autobot soldiers, she turned to her mate and smirked.

"Should I have mentioned that the commanding officer is Hot Shot?" she asked.

"You're kidding?" he demanded, his jaw falling open in surprise. "You put Hot Shot in charge?"

"He's more than prepared enough," she replied before turning around and heading out the door. "Now come on! We have a flag ship to board!"

She had only made it down the hallway before Galvatron scooped her up and carried her the rest of the way. She protested the whole time, claiming that she could walk by herself, but Galvatron ultimately ignored her. He walked into the ship and earned several snickers from the senior warriors as he walked into the command center holding her like a rolled up rug. The human children gawked at her in surprise as she fumed in Galvatron's arms.

"Uh, Optimus?" Rad's voice called before she spotted him standing just above Red Alert's head on the catwalk that ran around the ship. "Is Galvatron uh...?"

"Being an aft?" she replied before shooting her mate a glare. "Yes."

"You enjoy every minute of it," he shot back before setting her on her feet. "And besides, I move much faster than you do."

"Like slag you do!" she snarled in outrage. "You're a Primus forsaken TANK!"

Scavenger stepped forward and told them to act like adults instead of sparklings, his smirk shattering the serious tone of his voice. Galvatron laughed before teasing her about her subordinates having more influence over her than anything, to which she chose to remain silent, sticking her glossa out at him behind her face mask. He shot her a knowing smirk before the flagship headed for orbit, the monitors focused on the soldiers and ships taking flight to fight the massive Transformer.

Demolisher, having tagged along behind Galvatron, commented on her use of curses. She glanced at him before lowering her face mask enough to let him see her stick her glossa out again. His jaw dropped in disbelief before she put the mask back on, smirking as Demolisher demanded to know if anyone else had seen her. Scavenger feigned innocence, shooting her a knowing look before an explosion rocked the ship.

Everyone let out shouts of shock as they struggled to remain standing. Optimus' footing slipped out from under her and she gasped in surprise before Galvatron's arm wrapped tightly around her waist, holding her up against him as he crouched to the ground to avoid getting knocked around. She heard several thuds as mechs hit the ground around them, shouts rising and falling as various equipment landed on a few unfortunate mechs, before the rocking finally subsided.

"Status!" Galvatron shouted as he lifted his head up.

"All systems operational," Blur replied. "Just got clipped in a blast from Unicron; he hit the planet but that's all he's doing at the moment."

"Good," he snorted before standing up, his arm still wrapped protectively around her as he set her on her feet.

She heard several of the older Decepticons whisper about their leader's strange behaviour while the senior Autobots just smirked at each other. She felt every set of optics on her and a shiver of unease travelled up her spinal unit. Her mate's arm tightened around her for a moment before she pulled away, thanking him for catching her, before she tried to pull her leadership facade on. Galvatron sent a questioning probe down the bond, confused by her sudden attempt to seem distant.

She ordered Blur to get them out of the line of fire but close enough that they could still watch what was going on. The ship moved out of the way, swinging wide to keep an eye on the battlefield as wave after wave charged at the still forming Unicron. They watched as their soldiers charged and fell back without breaking formation, aiming for any vulnerable place they could before Unicron could fire back. She shivered before forcing herself to watch what was happening, her spark reaching out over the bond to find her sons.

They were fine for the moment, excitement fuelling them on. She was thankful for that and she could feel Galvatron's pride pulse alongside her connection to them. The pride seemed to spur them on more, battlecries echoing down the link before they shot each other subtly smirks; definitely their sparklings. Galvatron ordered an update on their current situation and Demolisher started typing away on the keyboard to get the necessary information. The number of casualties was slowly building up as Unicron started to finish his transformation sequence, making everyone in the flagship look at each other in unease.

"There must be something we can do," she murmured before shaking her head.

"Like what?" Demolisher demanded, shooting her a look. "Go into Unicron yourself?"

There was lengthy silence before both leaders looked at each other, a similar spark of determination lighting up their optics. "That might just be the answer," she replied.

"What?" Blur demanded, turning around to gawk at them. "Optimus, you can't be serious?"

"Unicron must be stopped," Galvatron stated plainly as another beam battered the planet below them, sending debris flying everywhere. "We have lost enough as is; we cannot afford to lose more."

"He's right," Scavenger stated before looking at them. "But just how do you plan on getting inside?"

Optimus stared at the massive mech as he opened his chest plate to consume the debris he had blasted off of Cybertron. "There," she replied, pointing at Unicron's chest as it snapped closed.

Galvatron's hand closed over her shoulder before he nodded his agreement. "We'll have to move fast; we cannot afford to let that monster consume any more of Cybertron," he stated boldly.

She nodded once before looking at the Autobots that were standing around them. "After we leave, enter the fray and keep Cybertron safe; we don't know how long our armada can last against him," she ordered.

"Understood, Prime," Scavenger saluted.

"Be careful, Optimus," Rad called.

"Yeah," Carlos agreed, "don't do anything stupid, alright?"

"You're the greatest, Optimus," Fred called, earning a glare from Galvatron. "Uh, you're great too, Galvatron."

Galvatron smirked before laughing at the human's statement. "That's what I like to hear," he replied.

'_Well, at least we know where Hot Shot gets it from,'_ she grumbled down the bond, earning a shout of disdain from Hot Shot.

She and Galvatron gave one final nod before heading for the docking bay. He got in contact with Flamewar and Thundercracker, the two Seekers somewhere amongst the numerous soldiers, and ordered them to fly them up to Unicron. Wingdagger cut into the channel and stated that she'd bring Optimus up safely, payment for protecting her mate while he was an Autobot. They all knew that she only wanted to come to see if she could find Thrust and try to knock some sense into him, but no one commented on it.

Thundercracker and Wingdagger were waiting for them at the docking bay, optics wide with excitement as they prepared to take them to Unicron. Galvatron gave Thundercracker a look before letting him try to hook his arms under his armpits, smirking when the blue Seeker started to tip sideways. Wingdagger easily picked Optimus up, teasing Thundercracker as she flew off towards Unicron that he was weaker than she remembered.  
ASDFGHJKL;'ASDFGHJKL;'ASDFGHJKL;'

Galvatron felt like an idiot being carried around like he was. It was bad enough Thundercracker couldn't fly straight while carrying him, no, now he was three seconds short of falling into laser fire as the ships whizzed past. He could almost hear the Autobot soldiers laughing at him, as well as some of his own subordinates, and shot Thundercracker a glare.

The blue Seeker smiled weakly before swerving to avoid laser fire, twisting his head around to snarl at someone to "watch where they're shooting". They flew towards Unicron, far behind Wingdagger and Optimus, and Thundercracker let out a shout before blasting towards Unicron's shoulder.

"What are you doing?" Galvatron growled.

"Thrust's up there!" Thundercracker replied before growling. "I owe him one for hurting my Flamewar!"

"No, he's mine," Galvatron replied before snorting. "Drop me off down there and I'll make my way over to Optimus on foot."

"You got it, boss," Thundercracker replied before swooping over the conehead and dropping him in front of him.

Galvatron took his time straightening up, knowing full well that Thrust was terrified of him. He heard the grey mech let out a slight whimper before tipping his head back defiantly, no doubt with a sneer behind his face mask.

"Well, if it isn't my old leader, Galvatron," Thrust sneered. "Come to kiss my boots and beg for pardon from Unicron's might?"

Galvatron snorted before tilting his head to the side menacingly. "You always did like the sound of your own voice, Thrust," he commented before narrowing his optics. "Do you recall what I'm like when I'm angry, Thrust? You will soon, because I am very, very angry now."

"What are you going to do?" Thrust asked with mock innocence. "Frighten me with a threat to join Prime? You're a fool to have joined up with that femme! She is worthless! And stupid to boot!"

Galvatron growled before taking a step forward. "You know plenty about being stupid, now don't you, Thrust?" he asked before growling and baring his fangs. "You haven't changed since our days in the Academy; always licking the boots to whoever you think is the strongest."

"I'm not scared of you anymore!" Thrust shouted before turning away. "Besides, Unicron is a better leader than you! No one can stand up to him, nobody!"

"Is that why you're attracted to him?" Galvatron sneered. "Is your sexuality getting in the way of your thinking?"

Thrust froze in shock, his wings hitching as he turned to gawk at him. He spluttered for several moments before shrieking that he never pursued his leader, never. It wasn't like he, Galvatron, was going to do anything of any importance anyways; his time to rule was long over, he was just too stupid to realize it. He had lost control of the Decepticons, thus proving how pathetic a leader he was. Not to mention his own mate abandoned him, no surprise really considering who it was, and had a son from another mech's spark. Really, how pathetic do you have to be for your own _mate_ to leave you?

Galvatron growled as his gun flipped forward, aiming for the Seeker's face. He would not take such insults lightly, not from him and not from anybody. Thrust would pay for this, no matter what anyone said. He heard Thrust let out a laugh before taking to the air to avoid his laser, only to crash into Unicron's still rotating arm. He fell into an opening in the giant's shoulder, his feet and legs getting twisted in the cables. Galvatron took a step back in surprise as the rest of the arm started to head for Thrust.

"G-Galvatron!" Thrust squealed. "Help me! I didn't mean what I said!"

Galvatron's optics hardened before he tilted his head. "I have to go meet Optimus so I'll give you two options. I can either shoot you now," Thrust shook his head with a whimper of fear, "or you can get yourself out and then, you'll have nowhere to run."

"G-Galvatron! You can't be serious!" Thrust wailed as he struggled. "Please! Save me!"

With a snort, he turned away, preparing to leave the mech to his fate, when he heard a shout above him. He looked over his shoulder and watched as Wingdagger angled herself enough to slip past Unicron's rotating parts and grab Thrust's arms tightly. She screamed at him to hang on before she shot straight up, pulling him clear of the plating just as it slammed into place. Thrust screamed in pain and energon spurted out of his leg; apparently, Wingdagger hadn't succeeded in getting him clear of the plating after all. Thrust's right foot had been severed when Unicron's plating had slammed together.

"Wingdagger," Thrust whimpered before snuggling against her, crying profoundly as his severed limb bled. "You...you...you saved me."

"Wingdagger," Galvatron growled.

"Don't you even start," the orange Seeker snapped before glaring at him. "Get a move on; Optimus is waiting for you." Her optics narrowed as he stood there glaring down at her. "Go! He's my bone-headed brother; I'll deal with his injuries myself. Get!"

Galvatron lifted an optic ridge at her before turning and racing across Unicron's arm to where he could just see Optimus standing on top of Unicron's chest. He could hear Thrust and Wingdagger squabbling behind him but didn't bother looking back. A few seconds later he heard Thrust squeal in fright before a loud clang echoed around; Wingdagger had just walloped him over the head, most likely with her gun. He smirked; he had met several dysfunctional families in his lifetime; Pit, his had been messed up; yet in spite of all the hatred those two boasted about each other, they would defend each other without limits. Or at least, Wingdagger protected Thrust while Thrust just tried to drag her after him as fast as he could. He reached Optimus and she shot him a worried look.

"What the slag took you so long?" she demanded.

"Thrust," he replied before watching Unicron fire on the planet again. "That's our cue."

"Right on time," she added before the both launched themselves into the steady stream of debris flying into the Chaos Bringer. "Hold on!"

He grabbed her immediately and held her close as they were sucked in, ignoring her yelp of protest. They rolled end over end into Unicron's chest, bouncing off of the debris as they went. He tried his best to shield her from most of the impacts, jarring his own body instead. They hit ground after what felt like an eternity, rolling along before finally coming to a rough stop.

"Galvatron," Optimus whispered before touching his face, "are you alright?"

"Of course," he grunted as he sat up, holding her securely on his lap. "I'm made of much more durable material than you, darling."

She gave his chest a jab before she stood up and looked around in confusion. He stood up behind her and wrapped an arm protectively around her waist, glancing around in apprehension as they tried to figure out where they were. Optimus suggested that they head for the ventilations systems and started to walk down the dim hallway they were in. He followed her just as several large round balls dropped out of the ceiling and started firing on them.

"Laser pods!" Galvatron snarled as he covered his head and stepped in front of Optimus. "Get moving!"

Optimus took off running down the hallway, signalling for him to follow. He was hard on her heels, dodging around the green lasers that blew up the ground ahead of them. They formed a plan over their bond, letting their minds focus on dodging the lasers, before charging onwards. They swerved in front of a wall and braced themselves as the pods fired on them.

They were blasted clean through the wall, crying out in shock before he turned his gun on them and fired. Optimus' personal blaster fired a second after his, tearing through the laser pods without problems. They gave each other a quick nod, excitement coursing through them at the very thought of what they had just done; they were still a force to be reckoned with when paired up. A sudden growl made them both look up, staring in surprise as the passage way behind them started sealing shut with what looked to be organic material.

"That is disgusting," Galvatron grumbled with a shudder.

"Agreed," she murmured before looking down the passage way that wasn't blocked off. "Looks like we go that way," she added.

He wrapped his arms around her waist before purring into her audio. "Don't worry, I'll protect you," he promised.

She chuckled before leaning her head on his. "Thanks," she teased. "But I'm more worried about you."

He let out a laugh before hugging her tightly, purring into her neck. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her face to his cheek before they separated. They nodded to each other before starting down the passage way, spirits high in spite of their dismal surroundings. They were going to destroy Unicron, no matter how long it took them, that they were sure of. And they were the strongest pair on Cybertron; Unicron didn't stand a ghost of a chance.

They walked along until they noticed a bright blue light emitting from a curve in the hallway. Glancing at each other, they charged forward and took the turn quickly, only to gasp and grind to a stop as quickly as they could. Sideways was standing in front of a huge hanging sack that had patches of bright blue membrane lighting up in random intervals. The traitor laughed at them before opening his arms wide.

"Welcome, Galvatron and Optimus Prime," he greeted in a voice that was not his. "I've been expecting you."

**Author's note:** Dun dun duuuuuun! The much awaited chapter since the votes were tallied! This is the third to last chapter, cheer everyone! Pretty soon, we will be moving onto the next exciting instalment for you all to enjoy...or positively hate as I butcher more of the Unicron Trilogy with my gender-bending madness! And did anyone see Wingdagger and Thrust being siblings? Anyone? I think I dropped enough hints throughout the story...kinda. Anyways, tell me how much you liked it, hated it, wish I'd do more cannon related stuff....


	28. Horror of the Past

Chapter 27 Horror of the Past

Galvatron immediately stepped in front of Optimus, blocking her from Sideways' sight before he released a savage snarl. Sideways just laughed at the display before shaking his head, optics flashing as he crossed his arms over his chest. He seemed to find the display humorous, something that even the sanest mech would know meant for him to back down when facing Galvatron. She wasn't entirely sure what the problem was; Sideways had never shown any interest in her back on Earth, so she didn't know why her mate was putting up such a defensive show. Sideways wasn't interested in her...was he?

"My, my, Galvatron, so defensive of that femme?" Sideways demanded before shaking his head again. "Your interest in Optimus Prime has always confused me until I took a deeper look into your spark." He paused before tilting his head to the side and chuckling. "To think that your mate is fighting against you must be quite a blow to your ego."

"Silence!" Galvatron snarled, his fists clenching in rage. "Don't you dare talk about her like she isn't here!"

Sideways laughed before walking in front of the hanging sack, shooting it an admiring look. "Beautiful, isn't it?" he asked before lifting an arm up towards it. "My spark, my real spark."

"What?" Optimus gasped.

"This shell that you have come to know as 'Sideways' is but a puppet," he replied shooting her a look that revealed his smirk even with the facemask. "An extension of myself that I could send out to infiltrate your ranks and stew more hatred for me to feed off of."

Optimus stepped out from around Galvatron and growled at the puppet in front of her. "You fragger," she hissed.

Sideways let out a hollow laugh before taking a step towards her. "You should have realized my existence sooner, Prime, considering you are supposed to be the ultimate form of peace in the Universe," he cooed before laughing again. "You are quite the oxymoron; fighting in a war in the name of peace. What peace ever came from fighting?" His optics flashed before he opened his arms wide, as if to swallow the room. "All your fighting has done is made me stronger; nothing can defeat me. Your efforts are in vain, Prime; you have lost."

Galvatron snarled before charging at Sideways, pulling his fist back to slam it into the mech's faceplate. She called out for him to stop, knowing full well that Sideways could do anything he desired to them and they would be powerless to stop him. This was his element, his domain; they had no control over anything. Red vines exploded out of the ground and wrapped around Galvatron's body, dragging him backwards towards the wall in spite of his struggles. She cried out in surprise before moving to help free him, only to get wrapped up in the veins herself.

She struggled vainly for a moment, terror blinding her to the obvious disadvantage she was in. Galvatron let out a loud roar before she heard him struggling to reach her, only for Sideways' laugh to halt them. They both glared at him as he stood smugly in the middle of the room, his optics gazing at them in mock pity.

"Did you really think you could beat me?" he asked before laughing. "How pitiful, really." He looked directly at her before walking over and stroking a hand down her cheek. "Optimus, you must fuse with me; it's the only way for you to survive," he purred before leaning in closer. "Galvatron is not worthy of the power you possess; I wouldn't doubt that even your knowledge of your power is miniscule. I can help you achieve heights you have never dreamed of, my dear; all you need to do is allow me to absorb you. Then, you will live forever."

"Never," she growled before jerking her head away from him. "I will never, ever join with a monster like you."

Sideways let out a low chuckle before taking a step back, tilting his head in thought. "You never changed, did you?" he asked, earning a confused whirl from her. "You've always been so high-strung and self-righteous; I suppose only Primus is to blame for that. But, no matter; you will be mine soon enough, little Prime. You will be absorbed willingly or forcefully."

Galvatron and she let out snarls at the same time. They would never be absorbed into the thing they had set out to destroy. They would find a way to kill him, no matter the cost in the end. Unicron was their enemy; he had always been their enemy.

"Unicron," a mech's voice called before everyone turned towards the doorway, optics wide with surprise as Thrust limped into the room, "I...I will join with you."

"Thrust," Sideways murmured before tilting his head. "What are you doing here?"

"I will fuse with you," Thrust repeated, limping over with a stump of a foot. "I will."

"Thrust," Optimus whispered, staring at her best friend's older brother in disbelief. "What are you doing?"

The mech glanced at her before swallowing, his mangled leg twitching painfully before he turned to Sideways. The motorcycle tilted his head more before the vines wrapped tightly around Thrust's body. He let out a yowl of surprise, struggling slightly before calming and inhaling deeply. He looked at the other mech and let out a faint whimper, his pink optics bright with fear and anxiety.

"I'll...I'll get to be with Sideways...right?" he whimpered.

Sideways stepped forward and his facemask faded away before he leant in close to Thrust. The grey Seeker let out another whimper before he leant his head forward and nudged Sideways' face gently, his arms wiggling slightly where they were pinned under the vines. Sideways let out a soft laugh before reaching up to remove Thrust's facemask, dropping it onto the ground where it was swallowed up by the ground.

Sideways' caressed Thrust's cheek, one finger lingering over the gash taken out of the tactician's face by loose cannon fire. Thrust let out a soft murmur before leaning into the other mech's hand, his optics brightening now with something much different from fear; if Optimus didn't know any better, she might have thought that it was love. Realization hit her full force and she shot Galvatron a surprised look, receiving a very similar expression before they looked at the pair in a new light.

This must have been the main reason why Thrust had joined Unicron; he was in love with Sideways! He didn't seem to know that Sideways was nothing more than a puppet and that he was really in love with the Chaos Bringer himself. But the scene, even with that information hanging over their heads, was touching. Thrust let out a soft whimper before tipping his head closer to the smaller mech's, his optics almost begging for affection.

Sideways' smile grew before he leant in and pressed his mouth to Thrust's, earning a loud purr of delight. Optimus felt a blush rising to her face as she watched the kiss go from simple to smouldering in a matter of seconds, making her feel both out of place and embarrassingly wanting Galvatron. He glanced over at her and gave her a smirk before she heard Thrust take a gasp of air. She glanced over and watched as Thrust tried to nuzzle Sideways as the vines crept up his neck. Thrust let out one final whimper, his pink optics begging for Sideways' affection before the other mech murmured something she couldn't hear, and Thrust stopped struggling. There was a loud slurping noise before the vines closed over Thrust's head and he was swallowed by the ground beneath them, leaving no traces behind.

"See?" Sideways asked before turning to them. "It's that easy; all you have to do is submit and become one with Unicron."

Galvatron let out a low snort of disdain. "This place is a fragging circus," he sneered.

"Perhaps I have not made myself clear," Sideways growled before turning to Galvatron. "It's time I showed you just how serious I am."

Optimus let out a gasp of fright as the vines holding Galvatron in place started to creep up his body. He let out a shout of protest and started to struggle as the vines reached his face. He bared his fangs at Sideways before his body stilled and turned a dark brown as the vines slipped under the plating on his face. She screamed his name in desperation until Sideways' cold laugh made her look away with a soft sob; her mate was trapped within Unicron's grasp.  
ASDFGHJKL;'ASDFGHJKL;'ASDFGHKL;'

Galvatron sat in his throne and smirked at the two lines of soldiers loyal only to him. They were the best of the best, albeit some where a little more thick headed than others, but they were still the only ones that had any chance of gaining his approval. Some of them might have been Autobots during the war, but they were _his_ now and they would only follow his orders. The line standing on his left comprised of Starscream, Wingdagger, Flamewar, Cyclonus, Demolisher, and Hot Shot while the line on his right had Thundercracker, Skywarp, Tidal Wave, Quickstart, Wheeljack, and Side Swipe. Yes, definitely the best of the best.

He heard small voices, soft and easy to miss, before Starscream turned his head to look at the entrance to the room. "Who goes there?" Galvatron demanded, clenching his fists angrily against the arm of his throne. "Speak quickly."

"Galvatron?" a femme's voice asked.

"Talk about ego tripping," a mech's voice snorted.

"What's with the cape?" another mech's voice asked.

"Humans," Quickstart snorted before folding her arms.

Galvatron snarled before glaring at the five humans huddled just beyond Starscream and Thundercracker. He hated humans with every last fibre of his being; they were worthless little mounds of flesh that served no other purpose than to irk him. He ordered his mechs to seize the humans and dispose of them; there was no way in the Pit that those filthy insects were staying on Cybertron while he ruled it.

"Halt," a femme's voice stated calmly.

His soldiers, who had been about to lunge at the humans, stopped and went back into their spots in line, smirking at one another as he vented a noisy sigh. He felt a hand touch his shoulder before he looked to the left and smirked at the femme standing beside him.

"Must you interfere?" he teased before she leant in and kissed him.

"Must you be so hotheaded?" she shot back playfully before looking at Wingdagger. "Escort the humans back to Earth."

The orange Seeker saluted before turning and shooing the humans out the door, earning several surprised squeaks from the squishies. He sighed before the femme sat down on his lap, stretching herself out comfortably on him while cuddling against his chest. He stroked a hand over her red hip and chuckled as she curled closer, her yellow optics dimmed as her antennas twitched. He ordered all of the soldiers out, not bothering to look up; they were obedient and would not dare disobey an order.

He heard them all trot out, the Seekers calling over their shoulders for them to have a good time. He chuckled before nuzzling his face into her neck, nibbling gently on the cables hidden there. She purred happily before licking the underside of his jaw, her yellow optics dimming more to a sultry gold before she dipped her head down to press a kiss to his chest plate.

"Oriona," he purred before stroking her cheek and making her look up at him. "My beautiful little mate."

She smiled up at him before kissing him, sliding a hand down his chest as he pulled her flush against him. Oriona was just the same as he remembered her, just with antennas that she had obtained from being Optimus Prime. Her colour scheme was back to being red and blue, delicate and beautiful, her optics retaining their innocent appearance even after so many aeons, and her spark-melting smile back where the universe could see it. She was the same tiny size that he remembered, making her seem all the more delicate and in need of protection, but he knew differently. Oriona could handle any mech that came at her and could turn them into whimpering heaps of armor if she so desired.

She was powerful; there was no doubt about it. That was the main reason his soldiers obeyed her as quickly as they did his. They both feared and admired her for being able to stand up for herself, for one so small, and their allegiance was bound to her as well as to him. If she wasn't his mate and empress, she most certainly would have been his highest ranking officer in any circumstance. But, thankfully, she was content to remain at his side and attend to the daily running of his estate; she certainly had an optic for the work. Another blessing considering the servants were more cowardly than any foe they had plotting against him and reacted badly to his harsh words.

She settled herself on his lap and let out a soft purr before licking his jaw again while running her hands over his tank treads to earn a moan of pleasure. He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, smiling down at her as she continued with her actions, trailing her glossa over his chest to evoke low moans from him, squirming only when his claws dug under the plating on her hips, before she nuzzled her head into his neck.

Just as he was about to start making his own moves on her, the world faded away to a black expanse of nothing. He called out in surprise, staring at Oriona as she faded as well, her optics staring at him before vanishing. He moved too slowly to grab her, his hand passing through her shoulder and clenching on thin air.

"No!" he growled before blinking in surprise.

He was standing in the doorway to his old residence, the one he had shared with Oriona when they were still with one another. He tried to turn his head to look around the place, but found himself not in control of his own body. He tried to let out a shout of protest as he started walking clumsily forward, but it barely even formed in his throat. He stumbled along, feet dragging along the ground until he reached the stairs that would take him to the upstairs berthroom where Oriona was no doubt sleeping.

He staggered up the stairs, leaning on the wall while letting out great whooshes of air from his intake, like he was exhausted from the climb. He was never exhausted in his life time from climbing something as simple as stairs; what could possibly be wrong with him? He staggered down the hallway, one hand against the wall to hold himself up, until he reached a door that was left slightly ajar.

He let out a low purr before opening the door and staggering in, his optics homing in on the berth. Oriona was lying there, curled up on her side with her head pillowed on her arm while she recharged. He stumbled forward and she stirred from her recharge, lifting her head up to stare at him as her yellow optics onlined. She blinked once before smiling sleepily up at him and stretching her arms over her head.

"Sorry I didn't wait up for you," she murmured before rubbing her optics. "I got really tired."

He grinned like an idiot before stumbling over and collapsing on the berth next to her, grabbing her jaw roughly in his huge hand. She squeaked in surprise before pushing at his hand, crying that he was hurting her, before he crushed her mouth in a kiss. He bit her lip relentlessly until he was sure that there was energon rolling into his mouth. She pulled back in surprise, one hand covering her mouth as he sat back with a satisfied purr.

"What is wrong with you?" she demanded, pulling her hand back to show her ravaged lower lip.

He didn't answer her before he shoved her onto the berth, a broken purr rumbling through him as he leant down to kiss her again. She shoved his chest forcefully, shaking her head as she tried to wiggle out from under him. He grabbed her arm and moved to pin it over her head, purring at her as she let out a pained scream. He blanched but his hand wouldn't release her arm, even as he wrenched the arm out enough that her wires were showing.

"Stop!" she begged. "Megatron, you're hurting me!"

Galvatron started fighting to get control over his body, but to no avail. His claws dug into the armor on her leg and he dragged his hand down her thigh, earning a scream of pain. She was crying for him to stop even as his hands tore off her pelvic plating and tossed it aside, his plating landing a few seconds afterwards. He plugged himself into her and she coiled under him while letting out a scream of agony, one of her heels kicking at his hip weakly.

He leant down and stared kissing her, pulling her up towards him as he started to send in pulses through the connection. She screamed again and tried to shove him off, flailing her good arm about as she tried to get him off. Galvatron was still trying to take control of the body even as he leant forward and placed a kiss on her optic, distracting her as he opened her chest plate and spark chamber. She let out a weak protest, tears falling down her face even as he opened his chest plate and spark chamber.

"Megatron...no, please," she whispered before he pressed their sparks together.

She let out a scream of pain, digging her fingers into his arm as she recoiled. He bared his fangs as he let out a loud moan of pleasure, grabbing her while sending in more pulses of pleasure. She wasn't returning them and his body didn't seem to care as he came closer and closer to overloading. He swooped down and kissed her optic again, cracking the glass under the pressure and drawing a pained scream from her again.

Overload hit him like a train and he moaned as his body quivered. Oriona was crying as he rolled off of her with a moan of satisfaction, curling up on herself and turning her back to him. Galvatron was mentally cursing his body, clawing to get into control and hold Oriona while apologizing for everything. He hadn't meant to; he wasn't in control, he never, ever wanted to do anything like that to her. Why had he done that, what was wrong with him? He blacked out and came to in the span of a second, but Oriona was missing.

"Oriona?" he voice murmured before he lifted himself into a sitting position. "Must be downstairs. Urg, I'm never drinking that much high-grade again; fragging headache."

He stood up and left the room, picking up his pelvic plating along the way. He snapped it back into place with a soft chuckle, murmuring about Oriona playing games, before he headed downstairs. He spotted energon staining the floor and stairs and felt a spike of fear in his fuel tank. He called out to his girlfriend, half expecting to hear her call back from the kitchen, busy adding something to her energon to improve the nutrition value or something, but he met only silence.

He sped down the stairs and called out again as he headed for the kitchen. There was no one there, but the energon was still on the ground, glittering in the light as he approached. He called out again before spotting a datapad sitting innocently on the counter. He tilted his head curiously before picking it up and reading the message written there.

_Megatron;_

_I don't know why you did it but you did. I don't know what I did either to earn such treatment, but I will not allow it to happen again. It's over, Megatron; I hope you're happy._

_Do not bother searching for me; even in my weakened state, I can outdistance you. _

_There is no point in even signing this; you know who wrote it._

He stared at the datapad before it slipped from his hand and clattered to the countertop. He bowed his head and gripped the counter tightly as his breath caught in his throat. He stared at the counter in front of him and small droplets of optical fluid landed under his bowed head. He knew what this was; it was not a fantasy that he wished would happen, this was his memory. He was trapped within his body, unable to do anything but watch. His attack on his mate was caused by an extremely drunken state and it explained why he had not stopped hurting her; his sodden CPU had mistook them for moans and cries of pleasure instead of pain.

How could he be that stupid? How could he be that foolish? Why did he hurt her? Why? Why, why, why?! He let out a weak sob before collapsing against the countertop, Oriona's name issuing from his mouth time after time. His fist punched the countertop before he slid to the ground, optical fluid cascading down his face.

"Galvatron!" a femme's voice called desperately. "Come back!"

ASDFGHJKL;'ASDFGHJKL;'ASDFGHJKL;'

Optimus almost cried with relief as Galvatron's optics flickered online, having been freed from Unicron's grip at last. He stared at her in surprise for a long time before he heaved himself to his feet, looking around perplexed as the young humans huddled behind her. He blinked once before looking up at Unicron's spark, baring his fangs in rage at the sight of Sideways leaning against it clutching his side.

He snarled before turning his cannon on the hanging spark, sneering at Sideways to manipulate _this_. Sideways flinched before croaking out a protest, far too late as Galvatron fired his cannon. The sack ruptured and exploded, sending all of them to the ground to shield themselves from the blast. Sideways screamed in agony before his body corroded away, leaving only a pile of ground metal on the ground where he had been before.

"Is it over?" Rad's voice quivered as he stood up.

"Yes," Optimus sighed as she rose to her feet, helping her mate get to his. "It's all over now."

The kids let out shouts of delight before they hugged each other, punching their fists in the air as their Minicons danced around them. She chuckled softly before shooing them towards the exit, wanting to get them out of Unicron as fast as possible. She glanced over her shoulder and Galvatron looked away the moment their optics made contact with each other. She tilted her head in confusion before following the kids out of the room, trying to reach out over the bond to discover what was wrong with her mate.

They moved quickly through the corridors, nothing hindering their progress now that Unicron was dead. She let out a small sigh of relief, her antennas twitching as she processed that one happy thought. They were safe, and maybe, just maybe, she could convince Galvatron to give up on the war; working together, they could set everything that had been corrupted right. Speaking of her mate, he was lagging behind enough to raise concern.

"You head on ahead," she told the humans as she stopped and turned to watch Galvatron make slow progress. "We'll catch up."

"Alright, if you say so," Carlos replied before they continued walking.

Alexis looked up at her before smiling. "You two make a cute couple," she commented before giggling. "If a little weird."

Optimus hummed her agreement while smiling. "Go on, Alexis; we'll catch up," she repeated.

Alexis nodded before turning to run after her friends, throwing herself onto Rad's back as they cheered again. She laughed at their antics before she turned to look at her mate. His head was bowed and he was dragging his feet, his shoulders quivering every few steps. She was immediately concerned and started walking towards him, grabbing his arm when she was close enough.

"Galvatron?" she murmured.

"How," he whispered, turning his head away from her, "how can you even stand to look at me?"

"What are you talking about?" she asked, reaching up to touch his face.

He flinched against her touch, inhaling shakily as she gasped in surprise. Optical fluid ran down her palm as she pulled her hand away, confusion running through her processor. He looked at her, his optics brimming with tears and she took a step back in surprise; Galvatron, for as long as she had known him, had never cried. No, that wasn't right; he had cried a few times before, but the circumstances were totally different.

"Galvatron?" she whispered.

"I raped you...," he whispered, taking a step back. "I hurt you...I never knew the extent...now I do and I don't blame you for hating me."

"Galvatron," she murmured before taking a step towards him, resting a hand on his cheek. "Look at me."

He gave her a glance out of his optics before staring at his feet. She sighed before pressing her forehead into his chest, searching for a way to express how she felt.

"I did hate you," she whispered. "For a long time I didn't even want to think about you. But, during the war, seeing you standing there, so proud and powerful, I just...couldn't stop thinking about you. Seeing you on the battlefield reminded me why I had always wanted you in the first place; you were an inspiration."

He looked down at her and his hand started to stroke her back shakily. "Optimus...I never knew before...just what I did to you; I thought I had just forced you to bond with me," he murmured. "It was wrong for me to have done even that, but I didn't think it would have driven you so far from my side. Now, after seeing what I did...I hate myself more than ever."

"Don't," she ordered him, pressing a finger to his lips while pulling her face mask off. "There's no need to hate yourself anymore, nor is there any reason for me to hate you. It was a mistake that you made and you paid for it. Let bygones be bygones. We can start anew now...together."

His grip on her strengthened until he pressed his forehead to hers, optical fluid still leaking down his face, but his cocky grin was where it was supposed to be. "Our war is over," he whispered, one hand sliding down to grip her waist. "We can rule Cybertron together and fix what destruction we both wrought on it in our blindness."

She smiled before nodding, tilting her head to kiss him. "Together," she whispered. "For as long as my spark burns."

"Even after that," he whispered, returning the kiss while sliding a hand up her side. "Long after my spark is extinguished, I will search for you and remain at your side."

She smirked before pulling back and pressing a finger to his nose. "Not here, silly," she teased before nuzzling his neck. "We have to get out of Unicron!"

He laughed before hugging her tightly. "Together?" he purred.

"Naturally," she agreed before wrapping an arm around his waist and leaning her head against his chest. "Don't ever go dark on me again; seeing you crying scared me."

"I'm sorry, love," he murmured before kissing her forehead. "And please tell me you're getting rid of that horrid mask forever?"

"Don't hold your breath," she replied before sticking her glossa out at him. "I like having it in place; I can make faces at people and no one knows the difference."

He laughed before hugging her tighter, teasing her about "the old Oriona still living inside her". She rolled her optics before snuggling closer to him, purring contently as his hand stroked her side. She purred down the bond, opening it up to her sons and smiled as they poured their excitement into them. Galvatron's pride swept throughout the link, bathing the brothers in love and affection as he praised them for their valiant efforts. Side Swipe sent a question down the bond about them and they both sent him love in response. Hot Shot's link was swept with disbelief for a moment before grudging respect took its place. Side Swipe's response was quiet for a moment before uncontrollable joy cascaded into them.

Galvatron laughed out loud as he received a mental hug from his youngest son. Side Swipe, in spite of his kidnapping during their stay on Earth, was ecstatic about their relationship. Hot Shot wasn't entirely impressed with the development, but he respected both of them enough not to hold any grudges. Optimus smiled before she felt the ground under her feet tip to the side.

She gasped before the wall on her left exploded outwards, exposing them to space as the ground gave way underneath them. She screamed in surprise as she and Galvatron hit the ground and started sliding down the slope. They flew over the edge of a yawning hole and tumbled end over end towards a glowing orb that was sucking in the rest of Unicron. Galvatron grabbed the edge of a jutting piece of tubing and seized her arm as she fell past him.

She clung to his arm and kicked her feet slightly as he hauled her up beside him, letting her hold onto him as he grabbed the tubing with his other hand. She clung to his chest panting, staring at the nothingness beneath their feet as more machinery flew past them.

"It's like a black hole!" she whimpered.

"Start climbing," he ordered before looking at her. "The soldiers need you more than they need me."

She glared at him before growling and shoving her face into his. "Well I need you!" she snapped. "If you're going to die, I'm going with you."

"Optimus," he growled before she kissed him, clawing at his chest plate. "Now?!"

"Hey, it's the last one we're ever going to get!" she replied before smirking. "Besides, if I'm going out, it's going to be with you."

"Have I ever mentioned how much I love you?" he asked before his chest plate shifted aside, his spark chamber already opened and ready.

She laughed before opening her chest plate, knowing full-well that their time together was severely limited now that they were dangling over a black hole. She felt her chest plate open and had shoved her spark against Galvatron's without even thinking to remove the Matrix of Leadership. Galvatron's optics widened before he stared down at the light show that was happening as her spark ate through the Matrix and fused with his. She blinked in surprise before she felt power race through her that she had never felt before, making her shiver in time with the pleasure she was receiving from Galvatron.

She clung to him and closed her optics as she heard the tubing snap under their weight at last. Galvatron let out a shout of surprise before his arms wrapped tightly around her, his face pressing into her back as they plummeted into the black hole. She heard screams far above her before she was engulfed by darkness. She felt Hot Shot and Side Swipe's pain before she lost all senses and passed out.

**Author's note:** Cliff-hanger, hanging from a cliff! And that's why they call him Cliff-hanger! (singing) ...don't ask, it's safer if you all stay out of my insane brain. So, that's the second-to-last-chapter of this story arc. What could the last chapter possibly be? I wonder.... And to be honest, I've been waiting to write this chapter for a long time because of Galvatron/Megatron's reaction to the knowledge of just what he did to Oriona. He didn't think he had hurt her that much and he's sickened with himself. And went Emo on us...bad mech; Optimus loves you again! Stop it!

Stick around for the next chapter!


	29. Starting Anew

Chapter 28 Starting Anew

He wasn't sure if he liked this feeling. He was almost unnaturally light, like he could float along rather than walking, but at the same time there was a kind of power that coursed through him. What had Optimus done by mistake when they had spark bonded? He knew she held the Matrix of Leadership within her, but he had never heard of its power being absorbed before. Then again, most of the previous leaders were notoriously single and had never been in a relationship while in office, but could Optimus have mistakenly absorbed it?

It was strange to feel that powerful yet feel so humble at the same time. He had not felt humble and placated for aeons, not since his school days as a matter of fact. It was...weird. Not unwelcomingly weird just...weird. At least Optimus was still with him.

Yes, she was nestled against his chest, her face pillowed on his shoulder. He could feel her weight on him, familiar and comforting. How had he managed to recharge since she had left him? She almost always wound up on his chest one way or another during the night. He almost purred before he ran a hand over her back, relieved to feel the vibration of her air intakes working. She was still alive; that was a blessing.

He could have stayed this way with her forever, just drifting along without a care in the world, but everything had to come to an end. He felt himself starting to tip backwards, his head behind pulled down first, and started to pick up speed. Optimus let out a distressed sound as friction started to make their armor heat up almost unbearably, twisting her head to hide her face in his chest. He twisted himself slightly in an attempted to protect her, but just ended up sending them spinning for a moment. He apologized down the bond before he righted them and held her tightly to his chest.

He cried out in pain as he smashed into an impossibly hard object and started sliding. Optimus clung to him more as they slid along, her body shuddering until they came to a stop. He groaned slightly before his armor started to steam as the heat escaped into the surrounding air. He felt her concern down their bond and reassured her that he was alright, just in pain; it would pass eventually.

He could hear shouting not far away, as well as helicopter blades beating the air. He wondered vaguely where he had crash landed until he heard something very big drop down beside him.

"Gu-Galvatron?" Starscream's voice croaked before his shoulder was being shaken. "Galvatron! Wake up!"

"You're bedside manners suck," he grumbled before forcing himself into a sitting position, his armor screaming in pain. "Where did I land?"

"Iacon," Starscream replied before he shouted over his shoulder. "Flamewar! Get that crazy medic down here now!"

"Be more specific!" she shouted back. "There're two!"

"Send both than!" Starscream laughed. "And make it quick! We've got re-entry burns on a couple of ground-pounders!"

"I heard that," Optimus grumbled before hiding her face under her arm. "And I don't wanna get up."

Starscream smirked before helping Galvatron stand up, cradling Optimus in his arms as she made it quite clear that she did not want to get up. Ratchet and Quickstart climbed down into the scar they had left in the planet from their crash landing and gawked at them in surprise. Ratchet recovered quickly and raced over, instructing him to put Optimus on the ground so he could start with her repairs. She grumbled about not hurting her before onlining her optics to glare at Ratchet as he smacked her with a wrench.

Quickstart snapped out of her daze a moment after her brother whapped Optimus over the head, her cheeks turning pink in embarrassment for freezing as she had. She ordered Galvatron to sit down so she could actually reach his head and do a damage check; apparently the top portion of his horns had been snapped off on impact. He sat down and smirked as she stood on him just so she could check on how the remainder of his horns were fairing, smacking him when he made a comment about her chassis squishing his face. It was always worth it to tease her about the size of her chassis, even if she did hit back.

She finished her assessment and told him that he'd have to wait until they got back to the Iacon base to get a salve to heal the burn. She smirked when adding that his "superior" armor shouldn't be too bad off from re-entry; just a few millimetres thinner. He snorted before standing up, glancing at Ratchet as he helped Optimus stand up. He blinked once before his jaw fell open in disbelief.

"What?" she demanded, taking a step back in surprise.

"Have you looked at yourself in the last five minutes?" he asked before shaking his head.

"No, why?" she asked before tilting her head to the side. "My pelvic plating get burned off from the crash? That'd explain why Starscream's gawking at me."

"Uh...no," he chuckled, shaking the image out of him mind; later he would laugh at that. "You've downgraded."

She blinked at him before looking down at her body. "Well sonnova glitch!" she spat before crossing her arms over her now red chest. "That explains why I feel so short!"

He laughed before giving her a long look. She looked identical to what she did before she was upgraded to Optimus Prime, the same red and blue colour scheme, except for one thing. She still had her antennas and she was nowhere near as small as she use to be. She wasn't as tall as she was before they sparkbonded inside Unicron either. She was a few heads shorter than that now, still taller than she had been as Oriona Pax.

She crossed her arms before grumbling bitterly, making Starscream laugh while Quickstart started gaping again. Ratchet smirked before introducing her to Optimus, taking much pleasure in Quickstart's enlarged optics before she launched herself onto her old friend and wailed like a lost sparkling.

"Don't you know how worried we've been?!" she demanded, glaring at Optimus as she stumbled backwards. "Slaggit, Oriona! I thought you had just vanished off the face of Cybertron!"

Optimus rubbed her head before giving her friend a glare. "This from the femme that called me a traitor on the battlefield," she snorted.

"Different circumstance," Quickstart snorted before hugging her again. "But thank Primus you're okay! You know, I thought it was funny that Galvatron was going after you since he was still so deeply in love with Oriona."

Optimus rolled her optics before struggling to her feet. "I'm surprised the Seekers didn't find out sooner considering Starscream knew," she replied.

Galvatron gave Starscream a surprised look; he had known? Starscream snorted and claimed that he could keep a secret from his cousins if he wanted to. Quickstart snorted before scrambling over the side of the scar, shouting that she was telling Skywarp first before he attacked Optimus. They stared after her for a moment before Starscream climbed out with Ratchet, claiming that they were going to tell the others to stay back so that they had time to recover.

"It's not right to call me Optimus Prime anymore," Optimus murmured as she leant on him, wrapping her arms tightly around his arm.

"What makes you say that?" he asked as he stroked her helm affectionately.

She smirked at him before poking his nose. "Do I look like Optimus Prime?" she asked.

"No," he admitted before looking up. "Think we should climb out?"

She nodded before he scooped her up to make her yelp in surprise. She clung to him before glaring and shoving his face away with a snort. He held her securely to his chest as he climbed out of the scar as carefully as he could. He heard gasps of surprise and shock as he managed to stand up fully and placed Optimus on her feet.

To say that the crowd was huge would have been a small overstatement, but it was large none-the-less. There were a mix of Autobots and Decepticons standing there, all of them gawking in surprise as both leaders stood there in full health. The Decepticons sank to their knees with murmurs of memorized oaths while the Autobots stared on in disappointment. Optimus folded her arms neatly behind her back and stared back with equal disappointment until several of the mechs at the front of the crowd were shoved aside.

"Optimus!" Hot Shot shouted before he charged forward and threw himself into Optimus' arms, hugging her tightly. "You're back!"

Optimus smiled before hugging him back, nuzzling him affectionately while the other Autobots stepped back in surprise. They immediately went onto their knees and murmured their apologizes; not that Optimus took any notice. She was too busy nuzzling her sparkling and rocking him in her arms as he clung to her to care. He smiled fondly down at them before spotting Side Swipe dragging another young mech behind him, the other youth's blue optics huge and his mouth moving rapidly as he tried to hinder their progress.

"Sides, we can't!" the youth hissed as he was dragged towards them, leaving the crowd behind them. "That's _Galvatron_! And Optimus Prime! We can't...!"

"Relax, bro!" Side Swipe laughed before he pulled him towards Optimus, who had just spotted them and was smiling warmly. "Optimus will be thrilled to meet you!"

"What about Galvatron?" the youth hissed.

"Once we explain things he'll be thrilled to meet you too," Side Swipe stated before getting behind the other mech and forcibly shoving him forward so that Hot Shot could grab him. "Stop being such a turbo-chicken!"

The youngling glared at Side Swipe, swinging around to swat at him. He was predominately red with blue arms, shoulders, and legs. There were shoulder cannons stationed on either side of his head that surely made him almost as top heavy as Galvatron was. He had four small horns on his helm that twitched slightly with his constant fidgeting. He wouldn't make optic contact with either of them, mumbling to his feet when Optimus asked who he was.

Sensing that the youngling would feel better without an audience, he ordered Starscream to lead the others back to base; they'd catch up in a minute. Starscream saluted before he and his trine rounded everyone up and shooed them along, ordering some of the more stubborn Autobots when they refused to budge. Only Optimus telling them to obey the orders made them move again. She shook her head before turning back to the young one, smiling gently as he fidgeted again.

"What's your name, young one?" she asked.

"Ironhide," he replied.

"What?!" Galvatron hissed, making the poor thing flinch away from him and almost send him and Side Swipe to the ground as they collided.

"Calm down, Galvatron," Optimus laughed before nodding to the youngling. "He's Side Swipe's twin."

"Twin...as in...," Galvatron spluttered before gawking at her. "You had _two_?!"

Optimus smirked at him while Ironhide let out a chirp of confusion. "How about we talk about this in private?" she asked before nodding to where the others had headed. "I'd like to see what you did with the base in my absence."

Side Swipe smirked before nodding. "Right, the base," he chuckled before turning around. "I think you'll like it, _a lot_."

She looked at him curiously before Ironhide nodded and mumbled about them setting everything up for their arrival. Apparently, there were a few, Side Swipe included, who refused to believe that the leaders were gone forever. They were influential enough to convince the rest to wait a little while longer before deciding on new leaders for the two factions. Both she and Galvatron exchanged relieved looks at the statements; they hadn't wanted to keep fighting anyways.

Side Swipe and Hot Shot told her to follow them, Ironhide already farther ahead with his head bowed while trying not to trip over his own feet. Side Swipe let Hot Shot lead them onwards, dropping back to hang onto her arm while smiling happily.

"I knew you'd both come back," he stated before chuckling. "But Hot Shot didn't believe me!"

Hot Shot glared at him over his shoulder before grumbling that he hadn't said that. Ironhide had stopped and was shifting from one foot to the other, his nerves obviously not the best under pressure. Galvatron shot her a look, wondering why on Cybertron she would name someone like this after her crazy, gun-toting uncle. She shot him a look that told him to keep his opinions to himself before Hot Shot stopped and turned towards them with a smirk.

"Allow me to introduce you to our new base," he stated before motioning to the massive building behind him.

"The old Prime mansion!" Galvatron and Optimus yelped at the same time, gawking at the enormous building that soared over all of the surrounding landscape.

"This thing's still intact?" she asked in surprise. "I thought it was bombed to the ground back at the beginning of the war!"

"I could have sworn I did bomb it," Galvatron replied before tilting his head. "Did we miss?"

Hot Shot laughed before smirking at them. "You two realize that you've been missing for about a month, right?" he asked before laughing as both leaders gaped at him. "I take that as a no."

Side Swipe explained that the first places they cleaned up where the main bases. The Decepticon one in Kaon was still in working condition but the Autobot base had been completely destroyed by a laser blast from Unicron. Since the Autobots felt they still needed a base of operations, they had started clearing away the rubble that had fallen around the blasted remains of the mansion and, going by old schematics found in the archives, had began repairs.

There was still lots to fix up, but the place was very hospitable now. Hot Shot showed them in, nodding to Cyclonus as the helicopter waved, swaying slightly as he tried to hold up Blurr as the mech tried to fix something on the ceiling. Ironhide was about to slip off, but Side Swipe grabbed him and dragged him along, waving at Scavenger as the larger mech walked by with a ladder over his shoulder. Scavenger, nodded to him before dipping his head to Galvatron and Optimus as they walked by. Almost all the mechs working paused to salute them, news having spread like wildfire that they had returned. Both leaders nodded in return, wondering where their sparklings were taking them as they started heading up to the higher levels.

Hot Shot commented that the floor was still a little unstable in some places, but it was mostly just electrical wiring that they had to fix. Galvatron looked around in awe of the place; Optimus had visited the mansion plenty of times in her youth, but he had only dreamt of what it looked like on the inside. Side Swipe stopped outside a set of doors and typed in an access code, commenting that they'd have to change it later if they wanted to.

"This," he stated with a smile as the doors slid open, "is both of your quarters."

They gawked again at the huge room before walking in, staring around in surprise. Optimus was in more of a daze as she backed up into the room, her mouth set in a huge smile before she spun and flung herself onto Galvatron's chest. He laughed before spinning around a few times, closing his optics slightly as she laughed in delight. They tumbled backwards and landed on the berth, sharing a brief kiss before Optimus leapt off of him to hug Hot Shot tightly.

"Whoa, calm down there, mom!" he laughed before hugging her back.

"I don't think she's use to this kind of luxury anymore," Galvatron teased before lying back down on the berth and folding his arms behind his head. "I wasn't exactly rich when we were together."

Optimus nodded before looking at Ironhide as he stood nervously by the door. The only reason he hadn't bolted out was because Side Swipe was blocking the door, his blue optics alive with excitement before he laughed and punched the air.

"The war's over! Forever!" he cheered.

Both leaders nodded, smiling fondly at each other before Ironhide shifted around. "Uh, can someone tell me why I have to be here?" he asked. "I mean, it's not like I'm important or anything."

Side Swipe turned to him before grinning mischievously. "Bro, we're the sparklings of the leaders of Cybertron," he stated before opening his arms wide. "Of course we're important!"

Ironhide blinked several times before shaking his head. "Sides, what are you going on about?" he asked. "Our parents aren't Optimus and Galvatron."

"Oh yes they are!" Side Swipe replied before grinning over at them and laughing. "And Hot Shot's our older brother!"

Ironhide's optics widened before he looked from his brother to his parents, his mouth opening and closing like a fish several times. He stilled for a moment before his optics offlined and he fell backwards, out cold. Side Swipe laughed that it was a processor overload and nothing to worry about while Hot Shot commented that he did that a lot with new information. Optimus chuckled softly before she heard several loud booms outside the quarters.

She looked up and out the balcony doors that were sitting innocently ajar. She moved towards it, hearing her mate's heavy footsteps just behind her, and stepped out onto the balcony. Fireworks burst across the sky, painting it red and purple before another set went off, showering the skies with blues and yellows. Galvatron's arms wrapped around her waist and she leant backwards onto his chest as another set of fireworks exploded, twinkling against the sky as shouts of young sparklings rose up.

"It's beautiful," she murmured before smiling up at him. "What do you think they're celebrating?"

"A new age," he stated before nuzzling her. "The wars are over, Optimus; we don't have to fight anymore."

She nodded in agreement before wrapping her arms tightly around his. "The wars are over...the Matrix of Leadership is split between us...there is no more need for Optimus Prime," she murmured.

"Don't you dare think about suicide," he commented before nipping her neck. "Just because the Matrix is gone doesn't mean that...."

"I wasn't talking about that," she purred before kissing his cheek. "I'm not Optimus Prime anymore; I know the difference between that power and this. This is nothing like what I use to be...I'm not Optimus anymore."

"Then you are Oriona again," Galvatron stated gently before pressing his nose to her cheek. "My beautiful little Oriona."

She smiled before nodding, her gaze stretching out over the expansion of Iacon. Her duties as Optimus Prime, the Prime that rose to power in a time of war, was over but her duties as Oriona Pax were just beginning. They had countless homes to rebuild, lives to reshape, and innumerable duties that would need their overseeing. She could hear her sparklings moving about in the room behind her, laughing as they hauled Ironhide to his feet, and she smiled to herself. Things were going to be very different now that two leaders were in charge of Cybertron.

One came from poverty and knew of the hardships that the less privileged lived through. The other came from wealth and knew how to placate seemingly unmoving individuals. Together, she and Galvatron stood a chance of returning their planet to its former glory. And, if not, they can go down saying they tried their best for all of Cybertron's inhabitants, not just one side. No one could be angry with them if they truly tried to save Cybertron; they might not be able to keep everyone happy, but if they could keep most happy it was more than the other Primes ever could.

Forever was beckoning and they were ready to answer the call.

ASDFGHJKL;'ASDFGHJKL;'ASDFGHJKL;'

"Patience, my friend," a voice giggled from with a black expansion of space. "Very soon we will bring you back to life!"

"Yes, and with this power we will rebuild what has been taken," another voice agreed.

"Yes, and the universe will finally be whole," yet another voice agreed.

"They are fools," Sideways' voice hissed from a far corner. "Unicron cannot be controlled."

"Then...what will we do?" Thrust's voice whispered, his pink optics flicking as he lay in Sideways' lap, his legs vanishing into the darkness.

Sideways was silent for a moment, one hand caressing the Seeker's cheek while his optics glared at the hunched figure before him. "We will bid our time," he replied before drawing Thrust closer. "When I've decided what course of action to take, I will let you know."

Thrust purred softly before cuddling closer, whining slightly as his legs refused to follow him. Sideways stroked his helm again, pity rising in his chest for the poor thing that was trapped within the darkness for the time being. He could see two others floating, optics offline as they slipped in and out of eternal slumber. Only time would tell how long it would be before they awakened, but he was prepared to wait; after all, he was as immortal as Unicron.

**Author's note: **And that ends this story. Up next is the Energon arc where we will see just what has transpired in ten years. Hopefully it will be a shorter story; not twenty something chapters; but just as enjoyable. I hope to see everyone around for the next story! Lots of fun and more of my lovely gender-bending madness; can you take a guess at the next sucker to get a taste of the crazy fangirl author?


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